The Goose's Roost: December 2008

Wednesday, December 31, 2008

The Ten Best Sports Moments of the Year

by Ryan

Always end on a high note, right? This probably won't be our last post of the year, but we wanted to at least give the impression that 2008 was an enjoyable sports year. I mean, at least 4 teams wind up happy per year, right?

10. Sabres trade for Craig Rivet.

You knew something was up when the Bernier jerseys went on the clearance rack early. Getting Rivet hasn't paid off just yet, but the Sabres did go out and get a captain. Too bad it took them a year to do it.

9. Sabres/Lightning, 3/19/08

The "cone of silence" game where the Sabres came back from a huge deficit at home. A 7-4 final was a complete surprise, and Vanek got two more in the win. You will be seeing a lot of these involving Thomas Vanek.

8. Red Sox Home Opener, 4/7/08

This one's just for Rich and I, but it's always special to see banners get raised.

7. Manny's catch in Baltimore

This was the catch/high five double play that MLB appears to have destroyed all video of. It's probably on the league's video portal somewhere, but you don't need to see another e-trade ad, do you?

6. Buffalo is awarded World Juniors, 10/27/08

It may not seem like a big deal now, but it will be a big, big deal in a few short years.

5. ALCS Game Five, 10/16/08

This game was absolutely ridiculous, and set up a Game Six road trip that Rich still isn't prepared to talk about. This year's ALCS was a very interesting one for Red Sox fans, but the implausibility of winning that game still stands the test of time despite the end result.

4. UB Wins the MAC

A great moment for college sports in Buffalo, and even more fun because it was pretty unexpected. The Bulls beat an previously unbeaten Ball State and won their first (accepted) bowl bid in one of the best seasons in their D-I history.

3. Sabres/Lightning, 2/20/08

This is the "Vanek Scores a Natural Hat Trick" game.

2. Giants win the Super Bowl.

Ah, schadenfreude. You were good to me this year, old friend.

1. Winter Classic

After January 1st it was all downhill from there. Probably the greatest sporting event of my life, and just the fact that it actually happened still blows my mind. I have a feeling we will talk about this a bit more tomorrow.

A View from the Roost: The Smoking Gun

by Ryan

I've been examining the work of Bill Wippert for hours, searching for photographic evidence of the train wreck I saw tonight. There are many ways in which to look back at a hockey game, and oftentimes the most effective method is a picture. While your memory may shift and fade over time, and a final score can be deceiving, a photograph gives indisputable evidence of what actually happened. Pure, unaltered, professional; pictures tell the story in a way only the most vivid of writers can replicate.

The problem is that I keep looking for the smoking gun in all these and I've yet to find it. Sure there's one where Derek Roy looks lazy, and one where Teppo is outworked in another; but where is the concrete proof that a 4-2 final score is completely deceiving? Where is the picture with the "I don't give a crap" look on someone's face?

These pictures don't exist, and unless Derek Roy snuck in a break for tea somewhere I'm not going to find them. What I do know is that what we saw tonight was laughable, and no matter what frame of mind you watched this in we all saw the same thing: the Sabres didn't come to play hockey, and the scoreboard didn't reflect the performance at all. It was much worse.

The closest representation of tonight's game is not a smoking gun but rather a simple comparison.

Alexander Ovechkin and Adam Mair. Is that really what we want to see? I know Ovechkin didn't put one in tonight, but who actually disrupted what he was trying to do? Mair and Gaustad. When the Capitals did score, what line was relied upon as the counter-punch? Mair and Gaustad. Lindy's right, when Mair, Gaustad, and Ellis are your best forwards you will not win hockey games.

The truth is that there is no smoking gun that encapsulates everything that went wrong tonight. No picture, no recap, and no single highlight is going to capture the problems the Sabres have. In a season that has given us the same results over and over again, the Sabres dropped the ball once again. Another home loss, and another set of excuses for the same problem.

There was no smoking gun tonight, but I think we all know better.

A few other things while you ponder where those 33 shots were hidden last night:

- If I ever get a press pass I'm going to ask Teppo what the dinosaurs were like. I'm only half kidding.

- A note to the gameday production people: no one cares what Matt Ellis' favorite movie is. Nor do we care what Patrick Kaleta's favorite movie is, or Derek Roy's favorite food, or even Ryan Miller's favorite hooded sweatshirt. These things do not matter and never will.

- Alexander Ovechkin absolutely owns Hank Tallinder at this point. The poor guy is going to have nightmares of red bald eagles with little eights chasing after him for weeks.

- The NHL video portal is annoying, but I just want to show you the difference between how Paul Gaustad and Jason Pominville reacted to the loss. Here's Goose:

And here's Jason:

Is it just me or is the difference between the two absolutely phenomenal? I mean at least Gaustad has a vague idea of what the problem is. Even Vanek used the term "embarrassing" and put blame on himself. Is Jason's inner dialogue only filled with thoughts of rainbows and getting pucks deep, or does he actually realize that Clarke MacArthur is winning the scoring race between the two?

- Are any of our defenseman aware that contracts expire? Like, when is the last time we've gotten the obligatory contract year out of a defenseman? Even Campbell struggled for an extended period. Kalinin was terrible last season, and this year Jaro and Teppo have been freaking awful.

I mean, what the hell was Spacek doing on the second goal? I know Miller's not supposed to give up a ten foot rebound, but I'm pretty sure Jaro shouldn't be circumambulating Chris Bourque like a Buddhist stupa. It would be really nice if he even pretended to care about picking up the extra guy, no matter how bad a save Miller made.

- For the record, the "Goose's Roost" sign that was up in section 315 was not us. Our sign is all but retired at this point, so feel free to take up the cause. Just do us justice, that's all we ask.

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

The Company Line

By Jon

The word of the day: continuity. Ralph Wilson wants continuity. Chris Kelsay wants continuity. Duke Preston wants continuity. What do the fans want? Definitely not continuity.

In other news, Lindy Ruff says the Sabres need to stick to the system.

Hey... at least we get another year's use of the "We got Dick for less..." tag.

UPDATE: Try reading a few of these without vomiting. I dare you.

The AO Show

by Ryan

A note to Sabres fans: please don't boo Alexander Ovechkin tonight. He doesn't need the extra motivation to score, and unlike Miroslav Satan he actually can.

Should be an interesting night down at the Arena, with Goose and Gerbe back in action. Maybe this means there will be some semblance of a forecheck, which will be a nice belated Christmas gift. Miller looks to get the start, and tonight looks like the perfect time to start the climb out of the bottom half of the conference. With Toronto coming up on New Year's Day and just five points between the two, it would be nice to get a little more breathing room before they go and think the playoffs are realistic.

7:00 pm from the Arena. I'll be there hoping Hank can redeem himself, and Atlas can get back to business.

The Ten Worst Sports Moments of the Year

by Ryan

Everyone releases a top ten list of some sort around this time of year. Why not do two? Tomorrow I will run down the best, but we should get the worst out of the way, I suppose. These may not be in any particular order, but they all weren't very good times for me.

10. Eight Bells dies.

If only because I saw this at Target and decided I needed to fit it in.

9. Sabres/Panthers, 2/10/08

The Richard Zednik game. The Sabres won, but I've never heard a crowd at HSBC Arena so quiet. Scary stuff, and if not for some fantastic response time by medical staff it could have been a tragedy unfolding right before out eyes.

8. Sabres/Sens, 1/4/08

This was the first game after the Winter Classic, and the Sabres laid an egg on home ice. It continued a ten game winless stretch for the team that pretty much killed the season and any chance for the playoffs. Ah, memories.

7. Brett Favre retires, second guesses himself, comes back, then murders Rachel Nichols in self defense.

Boy I can't wait for the next episode of "Brett Favre Retires". Check local listings in 2009!

6. Sabres/Bruins, 2/8/08

Sabres completely gave this one away, with Phil Kessel sneezing the puck past Ryan Miller it the shootout. An absolute meltdown in a season littered with similar performances.

5. Sabres/Flyers, 2/25/08

See above, plus Danny Briere and the words "poetic justice".

4. Bills/Jets, 12/14/08

Also known as the J.P. Losman Bowl. This was a completely winable game that was blown by a questionable play call and a quarterback's inability to feel pressure coming from behind. Apparently he couldn't hear me scream "GET RID OF IT" from my couch, but he probably should have heard the collective yell coming from Western New York. The cloud of smug emitting from his postgame press conference is floating out over the Atlantic as we speak and will one day destroy a small village in Africa.

3. Boston Red Sox trade Manny

Losing the ALCS to the Rays was tough, but I was more proud of how hard the team fought than anything. Trading one of my favorite players was brutal, and I still haven't really come to grips with it as a sports fan. There's a lot of questionable things that Manny Ramirez did, but I'll never hate him as a player no matter where he goes.

2. Bills vs. Browns, Monday Night Football

Do we even need to talk about it?

1. Bills vs. Dolphins @ Toronto

As much as the Monday Night game hurt, I've never been physically sick after a football game until this one. Everything about what took place in Toronto will bother a part of me that sports never get to. We will never be sure what happens to this team until it already comes to pass, but we will always know where it started. This game will be the fulcrum point, for better or worse.

Great Moments in Anonymity

by Ryan

There is always a downside to showing up in Google searches. When people are actually looking for your site it is a positive, but sometimes people are just looking for trouble. Most of these come from searches such as "game use russian penguin" or "mike ryan quarterback shirtless". You know, practical stuff like that. The result of such inquiries most often result in everyone's favorite internet hobby: anonymous commenting.

Here's a good one from Sunday:

Once again you Bills fans have this perception that your team has some ability. 2nd rate coaches 3 back-up QB's and no Lynch. You will be worse next year. Let them go to toronto. JP will find a betterteam with better play calling and will be a reliable QB. Trent will be a backup again when you draft some young gun. The fans in Buffalo are the most bandwagon fans in the NFL. Sad place. Good luck losers.

There's a lot to talk about with this one, but I think it's better to just leave it alone and let it fester. We always seem to get one or two trolls following a Patriots game. Good thing this one only stuck around for one post.

Here's my favorite of all time. From the J.P. Losman post following the Jets game:

glad I don't live in a town that has some really sick people. You all have lived in that hellhole Buffalo way too long. It's football, a game you frozen idiots. I've known JP since he was 5 yrs old. You people do not know him and believe me he cannot stand Buffalo. He may not be a starter anywhere, but anywhere is better than where you live. No NFL player ever wants to go to Buffalo, remember that. You will always have 2nd rate layers and coaches.

Plenty to love here, especially the "I'm J.P. Losman's lifelong friend" angle and the forgotten "p" on "players". You would think someone would proofread before they post faceless, nameless comments on sports blogs, but maybe that's asking too much. I do enjoy the theme developing here. Buffalo is an awful town and obviously this argument has some merit when discussing football.

Still, the timestamp is the best part about this one: December 25, 2008 2:51 PM. I mean, that's all kinds of awesome. Forget spending time with family or playing with presents, let's go Google search J.P. Losman and look for derogatory comments about him. This is the best kind of commenter, the one who literally has nothing better to do, even on Christmas. Either he's J.P. Losman's Muslim friend or one sad, sad individual.

Either way, he wins commenter of the year. We've had some really great, insightful comments over the past twelve months; but no one's claimed to know a backup quarterback. Totally dropped the ball there, guys.

Monday, December 29, 2008

Sort of Says it All

I feel like we are in a holding pattern of some sort until news of Dick Jauron's future is disclosed. Already we've seen some coaches get the axe today, so maybe it's not that far away. You could argue that some coaches better than him have been let go, including Eric Mangini. Say what you want about the guy, but at least he managed a winning record once or twice. Plus you can't blame him for his quarterback leading the league in idiotic (and total) interceptions.

Looking back on the season it's hard to properly describe what a letdown it was. A lot of us were wrong about this team, and I'll be the first to admit I am in that category. Five weeks into the season there wasn't much to hate about the Bills, and based on the odds the team had of making the postseason I still don't think there was anything wrong with the excitement most people felt. I will never apologize for hoping this team can turn the corner, but there is a point in which that hope is pointless.

There is reason to hope for Trent Edwards, and plenty of reason to get excited about Marshawn Lynch and Fred Jackson. There are question marks on the defense once again, and a lot of worry about the durability of some players. Where there is no hope is the head coaching position, and having any hope that Dick Jauron can suddenly morph into a better football coach is absurd. We know what we are getting in him, and it's simply not good enough.

I know I'm restating what I said yesterday, and honestly Kevin says it better over at Bfloblog. The conclusion we are all coming to is that something needs to change, and we can only hope the brain trust at One Bills Drive notices as well. Until then we can only watch the postseason and notice what these teams have that the Bills do not. The have-nots watching the haves once again.

About Saturday Night

by Ryan

FACT: Clarke MacArthur has the same amount of goals (10) as Jason Pominville.

FACT: The Sabres gave up two goals in the final 1:34 of play.

FACT: The Sabres got two points.

Which fact is most important to you? That third one should be most important. That's the one that really matters, I suppose. Still, it really feels like there isn't much positive to take out of the Islanders game because of how long it went on. When Clarke MacArthur wrists it home it should be over. A 3-1 game on home ice is money, right?

All of a sudden you're in overtime wondering what the hell happened. It should have been over at least four times, but that's how the Sabres have been playing this season. Rich and I kept saying "This is one of those games that slips away," and sure enough it's tied up with two seconds left.

Maybe it's not a major sign of weakness to give up a two goal lead that quickly, but this was the freaking Islanders. They looked terrible all night and scored once on a Miller brain fart. Where did that suddenly firepower come from? Chris Campoli and Mike Comrie, with five goals between them before Saturday night. (Speaking of that... Mike Comrie is making four freaking million dollars this year to score three goals? He's the Canadian Maxim Afinogenov. Jesus.) Not exactly a murderer's row that did the job on Saturday.

Thank God for the fact that Joey MacDonald was in net for the Isles, who looked completely lost in the shootout. I think he was the only person in the building who didn't know Kotalik was going backhand, and Stafford barely put the deke on him before it was in. Getting past the overtime period pretty much locked up that second point, but it should have never gotten to that point in the first place.

I want someone to invent a stat that calculates how many points a team gives away per year. It isn't an exact science, but it's safe to say the Sabres are already in the double digits in this hypothetical stat category. We aren't chasing the Islanders these days, but you aren't supposed to leave the door open for teams below you, either.

A good team takes care of New York with ease. The Sabres were about six minutes away from doing just that. The question remains, are the Sabres just a few minutes away from being a "good" team, or is something more truly necessary? It's an honest question, one they may not know themselves and may take the entire season to answer.

Sunday, December 28, 2008

One Last Time

by Ryan

Your Dick Jauron Losing Face for the last time this season. It's been fun watching it progress from... actually, it's always the same.

I would hope this would be the last time we ever have to post something like this, but I'm not taking anything for granted. If Ralph Wilson is satisfied with another three 7-9 seasons then so be it. For me the biggest reason Jauron should go is this: there was never a doubt in my mind that he would get flatly outcoached today, but what actually went on was flat out ridiculous.

Looking back on the season there were only a handful of times in which Dick looked relatively in control: against Kansas City and against Oakland. Oakland fired their coach mid season, and Kansas City should have cut ties with Herm weeks ago. Dick couldn't even out coach the Browns, who haven't scored an offensive touchdown since.

As a fan we always seem to jump on head coaches quickly, but the complete collapse we saw this year and the consistent failure to win games within the division puts a whole lot of pressure on the front office to make changes. When you are watching on your couch you couldn't care less if the players like a guy. The consistent mediocrity his efforts have given you is reason enough to try something different. This was three years of opportunities and missed chances, with the same mistakes being made over and over again.

It will be interesting to watch what happens over the next few weeks with head coaching positions throughout the league. At times it seems like half the league has a coach on the chopping block, and Buffalo's decision will probably rank low on the totem pole no matter what route they take. The Bills will never go out and get that big name head coach, but if Ralph and company see progress being made I can't find it. To so many people it's apparent that a fresh start is in order. Settling on Jauron would look like a claim of indifference to so many people, and I'm not so sure the Bills can afford more bad PR after what we've seen this year.

I'm sure this guy is acting on behalf of a lot of Bills fans. Fred Jackson came to play today, and you can't say that about everyone on the Bills roster. Changes have to be made all around, that's for sure. Bills fans deserve better than 7-9 no matter what anyone else says. In a league full of parody and drastic changes from season to season the Bills have been stuck in the lower half for years.

Something has to change.

Gameday Prep: Bills vs. Patriots

by Ryan

Here are the games we get today, and here are the playoff scenarios. However,we're doing the gameday prep a bit different today. Do you remember the last time the Bills beat New England? It looked a little something like this:

I think that's all you need to know. Forget all the talk about saving Dick Jauron's job, or the notion of players quitting or whatever. Consider this: the Bills have the chance to knock New England out of the playoffs. I think that's reason enough to play, and motivation enough to win.

I'm not saying they will, but it's six in the morning and I just watched The Shawshank Redemption. If that movie doesn't call for hope I don't know what does. I will have much more to say about all this later, but for now let's try to enjoy one more Bills game this year.

Go Bills.

Saturday, December 27, 2008

Flat

by Ryan

This picture sums pretty much everything about last night:

Well okay, this one does too.

I think it's pretty clear the differences between the two teams. The Washington Capitals pinned their hopes on a superstar making a spectacular play, while the Sabres had theirs riding on an utter disappointment getting really, really lucky. Is that really where the Sabres are right now? I know injuries have taken a toll and the backup was in last night, but can Maxim Afinogenov really be the hero of this team?

What we saw last night was a flat hockey team after a holiday that's supposed to refresh. Single digit shot totals all night, and a lackluster performance that even the final score overstates. The Sabres were given a chance to score on a bad turnover and put it in. The Max goal late was a complete surprise to everyone, and a mistake to begin with. (Either Max isn't supposed to leap out of the way of that, or it was supposed to hit the net. Either or.)

But that was it. Not many chances, not much of a forecheck, and sloppy play in their own end. Again. It feels like the same old story over and over again, this time with a different all-world player ending it. Alexander Ovechkin played another fantastic hockey game, and showed why he is the best goal scoring talent in the league. He probably should have had two last night, but the completely inconsistent goaltender interference penalty calling took one away. Give credit to the officials for making the right call last night, but how many times is that not called this year?

What was so disheartening about last night was that there really wasn't much effort to get excited about. The two previous games were theirs for the taking but slipped away, last night was never in doubt. You knew after the first that there was no way the Sabres were coming out of there with two points. That's not good, and that's not even something we can "build" on. That was losing a game you need with a complete disinterest in playing hockey. What, did Jason Pominville get Animal Crossing for Christmas? Did he have other things to do?

He wasn't the only one. There was no forecheck at all last night; only Adam Mair looked like he gave a crap. That's not a good sign when guys like Kaleta and Gaustad are still missing time. I've said it before, but the more and more I watch this team the more obvious it becomes that something needs to change. The Sabres have gone to the farm once again, but when that injection of fresh rookie excitement fades what will be left?

Tonight the Sabres come home to face a team much worse than they are. It's two points they absolutely should take, but I feel like we've heard this story before. A home game with your starting goalie in net against a team just as "tired" as you are should be a win, and a convincing one at that. Then again that's quite a mouthful, and last night the Sabres showed they can't focus on much.

Let's hope the up and down play continues, and this one will be an up.

Ladies and Gentlemen...Tim Kennedy!

From Sabres.com:

Buffalo Sabres GM Darcy Regier announced today the Sabres have recalled LW Tim Kennedy from Portland (AHL). The 22-year-old Kennedy was born and raised in Buffalo, NY.

Currently in his first pro season, Kennedy (4/30/1986, 5’10”, 176 lbs.) is second on the Pirates in scoring with 27 points (5+22) in 29 games. Kennedy’s 22 assists lead all rookies, and his 27 points are second behind the 33 scored by Philadelphia’s Claude Giroux.

Let's see what the kid can do on, literally, home ice.

Faceoff against the Islanders is at 7 p.m.

Pray For Henrik Tallinder

by Ryan

Vanek may have blocked an Ovechkin shot, but at least he didn't get his knees broken by the guy.

Yikes. Another all around poor effort from the defense tonight, and another one for the highlight reel for Alex Ovechkin.

Friday, December 26, 2008

Refresh

by Ryan

Is it just me or do we play the Caps every December 26th? I know we played (and lost) against Ottawa last year, but doesn't the last Sabres/Caps game on December 26th feel a little significant?

To recap: it was their first meeting after the Ovechkin hit on Briere. The Sabres scored six in the first period to chase Brent Johnson, who didn't take it well and smashed his stick and helmet on the way off the ice. Ovechkin scored a goal and taunted the Buffalo crowd, which was actually pretty cool. Oh yeah and this happened, which was only the first spearing incident for Danny Briere that year. Yeah, that was a fun one.

The last time Buffalo played Washington, Ovechkin was out of the lineup and the Sabres put on a show. Since then Buffalo has settled into the bottom tier of the Conference while Washington has risen to the top. Once again it looks like the Southeast is theirs for the taking, and the three seed looks like a safe bet for number eight's men in red. Yes, I am looking at the conference standings this early, because before you know it the trade deadline will pass and the postseason will be upon us. The Sabres can't let the playoffs pass them by, so they better start looking at that board as well.

The Sabres will pick up right where they left off, giving up two leads late in very winable games. Despite that and the controversy over certain goals, the Sabres did put themselves in a good place as far as the playoffs are concerned. After a fast start and a bit of a tailspin they sit directly in the middle of the pack. Tonight is a great time to start climbing up the ladder, and after a long break they need to to get some points out of a busy weekend.

Oh, did I mention the Caps have a 13-1-1 record at home? Yeah, this will be a fun one. 7:00 pm faceoff from the Phone Booth. Let's hope the boys aren't afraid of red.

Boxing Day Taro

by Ryan

If somehow you are still shopping, you really need to get on this sooner. However, we saved this for when there wasn't much going on and you can finally buy things for yourself. Our photoshopping friend 289 has been working on a new shirt for quite some time, and it's a good one.

Clearly that is not a Sabres logo, but the crest of the Tokyo Katanas, which Taro Tsujimoto played for prior to being drafted by the Sabres in 1974. Wiki has the full story, but it makes for a pretty cool shirt and a good story if you pick one up. I've always wanted a shirt with a water buffalo on it, so I think I'm going with this.

Back a bit later with some thoughts on the Caps.

Thursday, December 25, 2008

1:19 Seconds of A Christmas Story

by Ryan

Because you probably need the other 23 hours and 58 minutes to play NHL09 or something...

Merry Christmas everyone. You might see something from us later on, but seriously, go play with something cool you just got. If you got only clothes or something, find a smaller cousin or sibling and play with their cool stuff. They probably got some legos or video games, and both sound like good ideas to me.

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Everything and Nothing

by Ryan

Three years ago today I was sitting at a funeral questioning a lot of things about my life.

Why was I here on Christmas Eve? How did this even happen? Why was my sister's best friend being lowered into the ground on such a happy day? How could it be that December 22nd, 2005 was both one of the best and worst day of my life? What does it mean when a teenager dies three days before Christmas?

---

It wasn't like we were best friends, but it wasn't hard finding things to talk about. His name was Ryan. He liked cartoons. He wanted to be a writer. These are things that mesh well with someone like me, and it didn't hurt that he liked sports. It was a casual interest at best, but compared to me it seemed like everyone was merely a "causal" fan.

Most importantly, my sister had fun when he was around. They are both two very quiet, nice people who only wanted to have a friend. There are many things I will never understand about my sister, but I will always understand why they were best friends. They liked the same things, carried themselves the same way, and struggled with the same things growing up. They were perfect for each other, expect for one thing: Ryan was born with a heart problem.

---

I got the phone call while I was at school. I don't usually talk about my personal life around here, but I was in high school, and my sister is two years older than me. She and Ryan were the same age. My father has never been at a loss for words while on the phone, but this call was different. Something had happened, and I'd never heard him sound so sad.

Everything that was happening around me fell apart. It was the last day of school before break, and it seemed like everyone was having a party of some sort. When I heard what happened, everything melted away. No secret santa, no brownies or pizza, nothing. Just dead air on a cell phone and the two of us trying not to cry. There is no proper analogy to describe the shift in emotion I felt just then. Nothing in sports or anything else can describe it. The world I had lived in just completely shattered, and I haven't even talked to Joelle yet.

---

There was a Sabres game that night, but I couldn't tell you anything about it. They lost, I guess, but none of that really mattered to me. I remember watching it and wondering if sports would ever mean anything to me. There were so many more important things going on in the world; who could possibly put so much into such a novelty?

---

The funeral was set for Christmas Eve, a Saturday. His family didn't want to spend Christmas thinking about burying their son, and I don't blame them. My family celebrates with extended family on Christmas Eve following 4pm mass, which made for another roller coaster of emotions. The day between was a blur of shopping and complete depression, which felt like a waste at time and would be to talk about now.

---

This was an odd day for football fans as well, as the majority of teams played their games on that Saturday because of Christmas falling on a Sunday. That meant the Bills game was at one, just after a funeral and just before I was supposed to be packed into a church with 400 other people. This was going to be the worst Christmas of my life, and I knew football should have no place in my day given the circumstances.

But there I was on the couch at one with my dad, both of us wearing dress shirts with ties askew. We had no real reason to watch, the Bills weren't making the playoffs and the Kelly Holcomb Experiment was in full swing. They hadn't won on the road all year. Cincinnati was going to win big, so what's the point in getting more depressed?

Still, my Dad had taught me growing up to always give it a chance, and so we watched. The Bills kept it surprisingly close, and even led for a good part of the game. It stayed close enough that when 3:30 rolled around and we had to leave for church we suddenly didn't want to. We decided to tape the game and watch the end when we got back home, just before leaving for dinner at my uncle's.

---

We listened in the car as the Bills drove down the field. While my mom and sister went inside to find a place to stand, my father and I looked for a place to park. We found a space but didn't leave the car for another ten minutes. Just one more play, we kept saying. One more play to see if they can get that field goal. We left with about three minutes left. There were more important things to attend to, and no matter what doubts I had in my head about things, there was someone who needed a few extra prayers.

It was the worst mass I had ever been to.

---

When we got home we immediately put the game on. The Bills proceeded to kick a field goal, giving them the lead with less than a minute left. Here they were, about to win another meaningless game. Still, this was a playoff team they had in Cincinnati, and they got the ball back with time. We all know how the Bills will lay down for some teams, and it looked like another opportunity to do just that. Three plays later Terence McGee jumps a route, catches the ball as he's spinning, and returns it for a touchdown. The Bills were going to win.

It was a meaningless game in every sense of the word. The Bills weren't going anywhere, their coach would leave that off season, and none of us really should have cared about that game. For some reason, though, we did. I think in a way that's the most important Bills game I've ever watched, and I'll never forget watching that interception over an hour after it happened.

During that entire period, the only time I saw my family smile was when McGee hit the end zone. For as hard as I took Ryan's death my sister and mother took it that much harder. When that 37-27 score went final I saw both of them smile, if only for a second or two, but I think it made all the difference in the world.

There are a lot of times in which I question what I do with my life. I care about the wrong things and sometimes I forget that there are more important things than box scores and ticket stubs. But ever since that Christmas I began to value sports a bit differently. I think that game helped my family more than any condolence or prayer could have. After three days of hell we needed something, anything to smile about, and Terence Mcgee gave it to us. That may sound sad and pathetic but I don't care, I never will, and I'll never apologize for the role sports plays in my life.

That game meant nothing. Sports mean nothing. But sometimes it means absolutely everything.

---

My intention was not to depress, so please don't let this get you down. The fact of the matter is that this is the first time I've ever written about what happened. For months afterwords I couldn't write anything at all, I just felt like I had nothing to say. Things are different now, and for the first time I felt like there was something worth talking about. It will never be fair, but I don't think anyone is expected to have all the answers. Maybe someday it will make sense.

When you see your family today or maybe tomorrow, don't think about Ryan. He's remembered quite well, and every time Robot Chicken comes on or I sit down here to write I will think about him. Instead, think about your family and friends and what they mean to you. Think about your children or your brothers and sisters. Think about the things that matter in your life, and remember why they matter to you in the first place. I promise you'll find a reason for it.

Merry Christmas, everyone. Make it your best one yet.

Buffalo Sports Fan's Christmas List IX

by Ryan

Last year we did a sarcastic Secret Santa series around the holiday season, but this year we thought it would be nice to actually help you out. Every day until Christmas we will give you something to give the Buffalo Sports fan in your life. Think of it as the gift guide for the depressed guy/girl who has ~~everything~~ nothing. Some will be useful, some will be pointless, and all will be accepted if you want to give us a present.

At this point if you're still shopping you may be in panic mode. No time for shipping anything anywhere, and very little time to go out and get it. Because of the circumstances we thought we'd give you some last minute gift ideas and the places to get them.

- Bills Helmet Hoodie- That's pretty awesome in itself, but I've seen the throwback version around town as well. I've seen it a Champs and you can always hit up the Bills Store, too.

- NHL 09- It's a great game, we're a hockey blog. What more do you want to know?

- Sabres Putter- They actually have this in the Sabres store. There's probably no real use for this, but I know where it is and it's sports related, right?

- I'll be honest, if you're still buying gifts right now, just go with Sabres tickets and be done with it. Pick a game and move on. It's quick and dirty, and you can probably print them out for cheaper than if they were mailed to you. Plus it looks like you really care, which is all that really matters to people shopping this late.

If you are reading this I hope you are done shopping. If you aren't, well, you shouldn't be reading this.

Just a Reminder...

...You can check us out anytime at out Facebook blog page.

Click here to join the ranks.

We're looking for new ways to expand the blogosphere and this looks like the next step towards, well, expansion.

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Why I'm Done With Major League Baseball:

By Chris

Sources: Teixeira, Yanks agree to 8-year deal

Free-agent first baseman Mark Teixeira has reached agreement with the New York Yankees on an eight-year contract worth more than $170 million, two sources involved in the negotiations tell ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney.

The Yankees swooped in on Teixeira on Tuesday when it was believed the Boston Red Sox or the Washington Nationals were the likeliest to be his future employer. The Red Sox's offer was believed to be in the range of $170 million, and the Nationals reached out with an offer perhaps greater than that of Boston.

[...]

The Yankees have spent more than $400 million in salary in the last month, with $171 million going to left-handed pitcher CC Sabathia and $82.5 million on right-hander A.J. Burnett.

The agreement with Teixeira gives New York the four highest-paid players in baseball -- third baseman Alex Rodriguez, shortstop Derek Jeter, Sabathia and Teixeira.

Now I consider myself a Yankees fan. And there's nothing wrong with what the Yankees are doing. They're playing within the economic system fair and square.

It's the economic system that's screwed up. Cash-strapped teams like Minnesota need to sell their best players just to survive while juggernauts like the Yankees and Boston can buy up players at will (The Red Sox had the money to spend).

I'm going to find it very difficult to cheer for the Yankees this year (what fun is having a team that's supposed to win 120 games and a world championship--you're just setting yourself up for a major disappointment). And I'm going to have a harder time defending anything that happens in MLB for a long time.

Good for the players...make as much money as you can (careers are short). But the owners and Bud Selig need to realize that this free-spending mentality doesn't help the game. I'm more disgusted with the whole system than anything else and I hope I'm not alone.

UPDATE: Now it's apparently a $180 million deal. Good Lord.

Ugh

by Ryan

Twenty minutes ago I was staring at this:

I literally had to take a shower and try convincing myself I didn't want to spend $500 on tickets to a hockey game I had no way of getting to. Needless to say, it was a long shower.

We will have some late Christmas gift ideas for you in a bit, but if you want Winter Classic seats they are available. It's going to cost you, though.

A View From The Roost: Choking Away Critical Points

By Chris

So did Sidney Crosby knock the puck out of the air with his stick above the crossbar last night? Sure looked that way.

But neither the officials in Buffalo nor Toronto saw the puck hit the shaft above the crossbar and that's all that matters.

Sure it's Crosby. On national television. In overtime. On a month-long goal drought.

Do those circumstances make it even harder to overturn the initial call? Absolutely. But none of that matters. It was a goal and the Sabres missed out on the opportunity to collect two points.

The Pensblog tries to break it down here but I really can't tell what the hell's going on in that picture. It looks like the screenshot was taken from a TV with rabbit ears.

If the Flyers, Caps, and Rangers weren't around, there wouldn't be a bigger waste of an organization and their fans than the Buffalo Sabres.

And to think I'm Facebook friends with Pensblog Charlie...

More importantly, however, the Sabres gave Pittsburgh two points on a night where the Penguins probably shouldn't have even gotten one.

The Sabres took Pittsburgh into the third period with the lead and gave it away in the blink of an eye. Daniel Paille takes a roughing penalty, a mental lapse for sure, giving the Pens the only powerplay they needed.

As soon as the ref's arm went up to signal the penalty I got a text message from Ryan with the words "Tie game" in it.

Next thing you know, Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Jordan Staal, Petr Sykora and Alex Goligoski are doing fist bumps down their bench. Tie game.

Should goaltender interference been called on Crosby during that powerplay? Maybe. But those are the breaks of the game. A floater from the point gets through, over Ryan Miller's shoulder and the Sabres give away a point to a team they're chasing in the standings.

It happened in Montreal on Saturday and it's another opportunity wasted last night against Pittsburgh.

-Jochen Hecht left the ice in the second period and left the Sabres extremely thin at center. Adam Mair did an adequate job matching up against Malkin (until Crosby and Malkin were paired together mid-way through the third). I'm not sure when it exactly happened, but Mair has become a reliable top eight player. He's put together a solid season of hard work and while he's not lighting up the scoreboard, he's generating a boatload of opportunities. The first and second Sabre goals were results of Mair's grinding (the screen on the Paille goal and the strong neutral zone play on the Ales Kotalik goal).

Lindy Ruff also decided to put Matt Ellis out there with Vanek for a few shifts and while it didn't produce much (Ellis and Vanek were also both out there on the penalty kill for the tying goal), it showed confidence in Ellis' play. Ellis has been much better in this most recent stint with the big club. He plays a very similar style to Mair and Paul Gaustad and as long as he puts in an honest effort I don't have a problem with him filling in while guys are recovering from injuries.

Losing Hecht certainly hurt the Sabres' chances of winning last night. Sure it gave MacArthur a chance to step up (he would have even been on the bench for his goal if Hecht wasn't in the locker room) but the lack of skill centerman is taking its toll on the team. According to Ruff, Hecht should be fine for Friday's game in Washington but another injury (and they tend to come in waves for this team) and you could be looking at Mair as a No. 1 centerman. I don't care how well Mair's played--that's a scary thought.

-Speaking of Vanek, he made some nice plays tonight but it was disappointing to not see him get one in the clutch. He's had a dream season so far and played very well last night (especially early on you could tell he was frustrating Malkin on the backcheck) but this was one of those games where you would expect him to turn it up another notch and go into full-blown Atlas mode.

-Was anyone else a little surprised at the amount of powerplay time Maxim Afinogenov got last night?

And with the powerplay, as soon as they didn't score on the one opportunity with about six minutes to go, the sense of impending doom swept over the crowd (or at least it felt that way). The team needed a special teams goal there and couldn't get it done.

-I've been impressed with Toni Lydman's play every time I've watched him play live this season and he made some strong plays (stopping Crosby from cutting in front of the net late in the third) and looked comfortable being reunited with Henrik Tallinder. But that is supposed to be the Sabres top defensive pairing and they each finished with a -3 on the night. That's just not good enough--especially Lydman's weak play on Crosby on the winning goal.

-Watching Malkin and Crosby play in person is electrifying, especially when both are on their game. Like Ryan says, it's not fair that they get to have two of them...maybe the Sabres should just tank for five or six years to collect top three draft picks every season.

-Miller was OK tonight. He came up big at times but the tying goal is one he needs to at least get a piece of.

-This was the last meeting of the regular season between the Sabres and Penguins. The scoresheets show they split the series but both Penguins wins came in third period rallies in games the Sabres were perfectly capable of winning.

If the Penguins are considered NHL elite, then the Sabres shouldn't be far behind--they just have to find ways to be more consistent.

And that's been the story of the last two-and-a-half years.

Kaleta overkill and other news and notes

By Jon

I was all ready to write an extended, several hundred word post defending Kaleta's play and how he's been handling things, and then dave in rocha goes and sums up everything I wanted to say in a couple of sentences:

"I still have not heard anyone adequately explain to me WHY he needs to fight, drop the gloves, or "stand up for himself" just because he hits hard. He's throwing body checks at guys who have the puck (or just got rid of it). His hits are clean (95 times out of 100). He's not doing douchey cheap stunts like Avery standing in front of Brodeur. He's not aiming at guys' heads like Neil. And he's not driving guys into the boards headfirst like Downney and Hollweg. THOSE GUYS should look over their shoulders. THOSE GUYS should get a beatdown. I equate Pat to someone like Dustin Brown. You don't see people talking about how he's not dropping the gloves too."

Kaleta is the classic "guy you hate to play against but love to have on your team," but for whatever reason, some Sabres fans are complaining. Dave is right -- there is no sensical and justifiable reason that Kaleta should drop the gloves or change any part of his game right now.

If Kaleta pisses off an opponent, drops the gloves and takes a beating, he sits in the box and watches for the next five minutes. If he pisses off an oppenent, takes a beating and then hangs on to his gloves, the Sabres get a power play. Why would anyone want the first option? Lets face it, he's taking a beating either way (I can't imagine he would win too many fights,) and I would much rather have a power play than have the antagonist from Angola sit in the box for five.

I don't care if sticking up for himself is "part of the game", Kaleta should turtle until other teams smarten up -- and I'm not convinced that his enemies are all that smart.

*****

I'm convinced that the collective IQ of all of humanity drops 20 to 30 points in the week leading up to Christmas. Compared to nearly everywhere else in the country, WNYers are generally pretty good drivers in the snow (by necessity), but anyone that drove on Niagara Falls Boulevard at any point over the last few days can attest that the idiot drivers were out in full force.

One of my biggest pet peeves is the vulture that will circle a parking lot twenty times until they see someone leave a store, follow them to their car, and wait until they back out to take their parking space. Save yourself ten minutes and park in the back. It will add less than one minute to your walk, I promise.

*****

Memo to Ralph: Nothing will surprise us anymore. Come clean about Dick. Did he get an extension? Didn't he? We're going to find out soon enough, and frankly I'm not sure how much I care anymore.

Monday, December 22, 2008

The Titan, the Saivior, and the Communist

by Ryan

For being so loaded offensively, there the Penguins sit just two points above the meddling Sabres. That scrappy little team with its cheap grinding goals and role players outworking all those all stars. What a disgrace to hockey to have a team like that actually sport a decent record against the reigning Eastern Conference Champions. Ryan Miller is obviously terrible, and Lindy Ruff couldn't out-coach Michel Therrien if he were handed two all-world players and a 1st overall pick in net. What a joke.

Okay, now that I got that out of my system we can talk about tonight's game. I'm really excited to go tonight because Penguins games always seem to be fun, and there's always something special about games played around the holidays. It's hard to describe, but it really does feel more important around Christmas, and inside the Arena is a festive mood for sure.

What I'm excited about tonight is what usually gets me excited: the chance to follow star players around the ice. Sometimes what makes elite players special is not necessarily what they do when they have the puck but what they do without it. Positioning, back checking, communication, foot speed; all of these things make great players but are hard to notice when watching on TV.

Crosby, Ovechkin, and Malkin all get praises raised to the high heavens from pundits and announcers alike, but sometimes it's hard to believe if you don't see it for yourself. Tonight, that's what I'm going to enjoy watching. In the stands there's no annoying voice talking at me about how spectacular Crosby and Malkin are. Nor will there be one pointing me towards Vanek or Miller. What I want to do tonight is forget everything people say and just watch the stars put on a show.

It sounds like a simple thing to do, but you just can't always watch and hear what you want to on TV.

Kaleta, Trimesters, Silver and Gould

by Ryan

I'm glad some people have been discussing the Gauthier Incident from Friday night. It's nice to see some conversation about this, but whenever the topic of Pat Kaleta comes up I feel like I give the wrong impression of my feelings towards him. I don't hate Pat Kaleta. In fact, I like him a lot. However, I disagree with the way he is being used by the coaching staff, and I think that unless that implementation changes he could have a very short hockey career.

Put it this way: in his current role, it is Pat Kaleta's job to take that punch to the face. The same goes with the beating he took in his last meeting with Montreal. Both games he came away from with significant injuries, and we all know what a concussion can do to an athlete. Pat Kaleta can be more than just a guy who hits hard and draws penalties. We've seen flashes of it, but if this keeps up we will never get to see more.

On a sidenote, what happened to the defensive aspect of his game? His CORSI is terrible, his +/- is forgettable, and we haven't seen him on those token penalty kills in months. I've understand the theory that the coaches will know when his style should change, but it doesn't mean I don't actively worry about his career direction and impact down the road. I may be wrong about all this, but I'd rather see it get discussed then have it forgotten.

- That said, I really enjoyed Saturday night's game, and only the final score keeps me from saying I loved it. It really is a shame poor officiating determined the end result. I'm not saying it was biased or one-sided *coughcough*, but it completely killed the flow of the game in the second period and outright ended overtime. I was going to post a montage of officials screwing up on Saturday night but I resisted. Now I kind of regret it.

- As far as the Sabres' play on Saturday... it was pretty solid. Miller was quite good once again, and the defense wasn't all that fantastic either, but it was one of those rare games in which Buffalo had more than one or two players skating extremely well. Roy and Stafford have been great these past few games, but Pominville and MacArthur were very good as well. Even Vanek had his usual five shots. Atlas has carried the load all year, but this team craves balanced scoring and it's starting to get it.

- I've been asked by two different readers about my due date, so I should probably clarify that I'm not pregnant. In fact, I'm a boy. A real boy. It's not even that "Ryan can be a girl's name, too" kind of thing. I suppose my thoughts on games over the past few weeks has been up and down, but that's the kind of hockey we've seen. This is also a rough time of year, but I'll explain that later.

- At first glance, Silver pricing on a Monday night game is rough, but given the opponent and the proximity to Christmas it does feel right. There are single seats left for tonight, so I guess they did get this one right. By the way, on Friday did you see the graphic that showed how many tickets were left for the next three home games? I wish they showed that all the time. I like knowing these things.

- Pray for Robbie Gould tonight. Don't ask why, just do it.

Buffalo Sports Fan's Christmas List VIII

Sunday, December 21, 2008

Correlation Station

by Ryan

During the Panthers/Giants game NBC had a graphic that showed how Jake Delhomme performed throughout the Panthers season. The announcers seemed mildly surprised to find out that Jake played very well in the Panthers wins and struggled during their brief losing streak. The crazy thing is that I've seen this graphic at least a half dozen times this year, and every time the announcers seem to find this a complete coincidence.

I mean, really? You're telling me that the idea of quarterback play correlating directly with a team's win percentage has never occurred to you before? That's borderline amazing, because even the most casual of football fans understand how important a quarterback is. Most good teams start with a good quarterback, and every elite team has a great one.

Is it any wonder, then, that the Buffalo Bills are a completely different team when their quarterback is Trent Edwards? Of course the proper implementation of a solid run game and some timely defense is a part of it, but the fact of the matter is that the Bills look and feel like a completely different football team when he's at the helm.

If there was anything we can take from the last two games this year it would be that Trent Edwards isn't completely broken. What we saw in the second half today was Trent Edwards pre-Arizona, and that's exactly what we wanted. It wasn't perfect, but a 17/25 193, 1TD line looks downright stellar after the last few weeks of Losman.

This wasn't the most fantastic of victories, and its only real significance will involve draft picks, but you have to be satisfied by the effort. Denver did a lot of things wrong today but they didn't drive the Bills down the field, and they sure didn't lay an egg in the numbers department. Looking at the boxscore it's almost amazingly one sided, yet it was the Bills getting that final touchdown to keep the champagne on ice at Mile High.

There isn't much to play for these days but the usual cliches of pride and maybe contract incentives, but the Bills took care of business against a "playoff bound" team. I have no idea if it means anything, and maybe they go out next week and get killed in order to keep that 7-9 streak going strong. Still, it was nice to see Trent looking like a promising quarterback once again.

This season may be a complete failure, but hey, there's always the next one.

Gameday Prep: Bills @ Broncos

by Ryan

It may be all over but the crying, but are you really going to stop watching now? Didn't think so. We're all in this pathetic display of football together. Consider this your Gameday Prep.

Announcers: Ian Eagle, Solomon Wilcots (Courtesy of Awful Announcing)

Game Distribution Maps: Courtesy of the506.

Depth Charts: Broncos, Bills

Stats: NFL.com, ESPN, or Yahoo Sports all do a good job. If you have fantasy teams through Yahoo, you're better off paying the ten bucks for "stattracker", it's a lifesaver.

Things They've Been Saying:
- Did Roscoe get snubbed for the Pro Bowl?

- Simmons on the Jauron extension:

Put it this way: If the Bills' fans were Ralph Wilson's children, and Wilson did the everyday-life equivalent of giving Jauron a three-year extension after that Jets game -- whether it was giving a Buffalo real estate developer $30 million for a condo project downtown, backing Vincent Gallo for "Buffalo 66 II: Electric Boogaloo," spending $10 million on a backyard stage so the Goo Goo Dolls could come over and rehearse, or announcing at dinner, "Good news, I just bought eight courtside seats for the Buffalo Braves!" -- the Bills' fans would be scouting nursing homes for him right now. It's true.

- Here's the game preview from NFL.com

- Unless two quarterbacks get maulled by bears, J.P. probably isn't playing, so I won't be writing explitive-laden posts this evening. That's probably for the best.

Song that Makes Sense to Listen to Today: "Rocky Mountain High", John Denver

Fun Facts:

- Once again the Bills play against a big player on my fantasy team, which is in the championship game this week. This time it's Brandon Marshall. This could be... interesting.

- Hey there was a football game on last night. I was going to write about all that yesterday but then the Gauthier thing happened. Maybe sometime this week I'll get back to a few points on the Thursday/Saturday night games.

- Here's the current playoff picture

- KSK finally gets around to talking about Dick. No, not that kind.

Okay, that's it. Game time. I'll be around all day, so if you have a thought drop a line. Comments, email, or our AIM: GoosesRoost28.

Go Bills.

Buffalo Sports Fan's Christmas List VII

Saturday, December 20, 2008

The Gauthier Incident

by Ryan

Before we get started, let's watch this again.

My first thought when I saw this live was that there had to be more to it. Hockey players aren't crazy, and there is a reason for the way things develop on the ice. This wasn't a witch hunt in search of incriminating evidence against Patrick Kaleta, just a desire to figure out why one player looks completely shocked while the other lies in a heap on the ground.

First of all, Denis Gauthier has no real reason to go after Pat Kaleta. The hit was clean, it wasn't charging, and it was a completely reasonable forecheck. That's the kind of hockey player Kaleta is, and we've seen far more questionable hits in his short career here in Buffalo.

But here's where it all starts: after Gauthier tries to hit Pat in retaliation, Kaleta skates towards Denis instead of following the play back up ice. This is the universal symbol for "You want to make something of this?" Obviously Gauthier does, and he gets a bit overzealous because of it. He drops and hits Kaleta with a very quick punch, and he's on the ground before the Kings hit the blue line.

Now... Gauthier punched Kaleta too quickly. This is quite obvious. However, I understand where he's coming from and why he's so surprised afterwards. Conventional wisdom says that Patrick Kaleta is willing to fight in this situation, and so Gauthier tries to get an early edge by throwing the first punch. It was premature, it was obviously misguided, but under the circumstances it seems completely logical. I will punch you, you will drop your gloves in return, and we will fight. We obviously know better, and down goes Kaleta.

Again, I'm not saying this is a bad thing. This is what Kaleta does, and I'm not necessarily saying there's anything wrong with it. He's not willing to fight, the coaches probably told him not to, and it's his "role" to skate over there and draw in a penalty. The Sabres went on a four minute power play and he's immediately played a good game.

However, this won't be the last time something like this happens this season. There aren't many teams from the Western Conference who know what Pat Kaleta is all about, and as the Sabres make that initial trip through the conference with Kaleta on the roster there will be misunderstandings such as these. Teams don't know his tendencies, they don't know his physical style, and they don't know his unwillingness to "justify" or "defend" his actions, however you'd like to characterize it.

After this season, though, I think it will end. Teams will know he's not going to throw the gloves down and fight, and so they won't go after him as such. This isn't a criticism as much as it is stating a fact: after this season Patrick Kaleta will be less useful to the Sabres because other teams' inexperience with him will disapear.* The Gauthier Incident was based purely on inexperience with the beast that is Pat Kaleta, and after everyone gets a taste there will be a disclaimer that goes along with playing the Sabres. "Watch out for 36. 36 doesn't throw."**

Think about the last time the Sabres played Montreal. From what I saw the Habs figured out how to beat Pat Kaleta: beat the hell out of him. He's not going to fight, but you play him just as physical as he plays you and he will break down. Do you think this hit was a coincidence? Montreal has seen Pat Kaleta in action and they know his number.

That Canadiens game was also the game Kaleta was hurt in. If I'm a Habs fan that's exactly how I want to play an opponent's instigator. How many times have you wanted someone to run Chris Neil or Sean Avery through the boards so hard he can't skate for a week. That's how Montreal played ours, and to me that's textbook hockey.

Again, and I feel like I really need to stress this, I'm not saying what Kaleta did was wrong, nor am I saying what Gauthier did was right. Gauthier should have known better and at the very least should have waited for the mutual glove drop. He should and will get suspended, probably for two games or so. But when you really look it all this it makes sense in a weird, twisted way. This wasn't a Bertuzzi or McSorley thing, this was a misunderstanding mixed with a little bit of poor decision making.

The strange thing is that if you're not going to call Gauthier a cheap shot artist you should probably call Kaleta a turtle in this situation. However, I'm not sure I'd pick either. In a game that moves so fast, the split second decisions made by two different players in a unique situation combined to make something that looked pretty ugly. Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't think the reality is as ugly as it appears.

Maybe I need to watch it a few more times, but I definitely want to hear what you have to say.

*The other argument I'm ignoring here is that teams like the Rangers continue to do stupid things with Kaleta because of the Mara hit. That's something that may happen with other teams, but common sense says teams get past the antics of one player in the long run. The number, length, and frequency of major penalties because of Kaleta will go down over time. Not a positive or negative, just logic.

**Unless he eventually changes his game and adapts to how teams play him. I feel this will happen in time but I'm afraid it will be a reactionary move that may be made too late. We've seen that Kaleta has the ability to be a complete player, and I think he has to do more of that before he is pigeonholed into his current role.

Watch Homefield Advantage Disappear!

Sometimes I wonder what it would look like if they blew up the Ralph. Then I remember that we're never getting a new stadium. Ever.

Stealing Home

by Ryan

Did Ryan Miller really make 40 saves last night? Really? And on 40 shots? Not like, 43 or 45?

If you saw the first period you would have thought for sure Miller was letting in at least a couple. His positioning looked a bit off, and he seemed to have a tendency to completely overpursue the shooter a few times. He made 13 saves in the first, but it looked like eventually he would slip up a bit and at least give up the usual cheapie. The Sabres were lucky to get out of the period with the lead based on the play in front of him, too.

The thing about Miller is that he just doesn't seem to "steal" games like some elite goalies do. This is difficult to adjust to when you've seen Dominik Hasek in net for your hockey team. Hasek was the kind of goalie who could absolutely rob the opposition of two points on any given night, and it's hard to remember how special he was when comparing players. No matter how much we wish it, Ryan Miller will never play like Dominik Hasek. He just can't, and our subliminal expectations of that are just as unfair as our subconscious hope that every Bills quarterback is the next Jim Kelly.

When I look back on last nights game I don't think Miller "stole" it, but that's mostly because the Sabres scored five times. However, stopping 40 shots against a team with talent such as Frolov, Kopitar, Brown, and O'Sullivan is no easy task, and although it didn't look like it at times Miller did play quite well. He settled down, played the shooter well, and controlled his rebounds; something which certainly needed improvement from Wednesday night.

The thing about Ryan is that sometimes he just seems to lose focus and give up that ridiculously soft goal you never think he would let in. He's been characterized as a little league outfielder chasing butterflies or staring up into the sky, and I think that's a perfect way to put it. Sometimes he will put together an excellent 58 minutes of hockey, but that two minutes where he was thinking about fedoras he lets in two. We all know the defense hasn't been there for him this year, but there are very high expectations there for Ryan Miller after his performance in the playoffs and the big contract. Lindy Ruff says it about any number of players, but he's been right about this: Ryan Miller needs to be better.

Last night Miller was much, much better. James Patrick is right, closing out games with a four goal lead should be pretty easy, but that's what Miller had to do. It is important that he didn't give up that goal, though. We need to know that Ryan can come up with games like this down the stretch. We know what we have with the defense and hopefully it can improve, but Ryan Miller needs to be there when this team decides to chase butterflies itself.

That said, it would appear the Sabres also need to play more teams that have zero goaltending. The Roy goal is on the defenseman (next time gently slide it into his pads, don't try to clear the zone from the goal line...), but LaBarbera needs to stop the puck clean on Butler's initial shot (Mair's goal) and not be out to lunch on the MacArthur goal. Give credit to the Sabres for actually crashing the net for once, but the Kings' lack of goaltending gave this game away before their forwards had the chance to take it.

Other than Miller's play there wasn't a whole lot to like from the Sabres, really. All five goals were the result of forwards going to the net, which is good to see, but the defense was shaky again and Dustin Brown made them look bad every other shift. Butler played very well for a guy who admitted he was terrified, and Ellis played his part well, too. The only thing you can ask from your callups is that they minimize mistakes and skate hard, and both did that last night.

The Sabres need to win games like these, plain and simple. We've already seen a few Friday night home games against mediocre teams slip away. They did their job last night and took the help LaBarbera offered. That's all you can ask.

A few other things before we start talking about the Habs:

- Give credit to the crowd for coming out even though most people had a foot of snow in their driveways. Even when there are travel bans in the area Buffalo puts more people in the seats than all of the South on a good night. Heck, take a look at this:

Okay, so it's Jersey. Imagine twelve more people in the crowd and you have a usual home game. The point is those twelve people show up in Buffalo, while in other places they decide they'd rather sit at home and cry about all the shopping they didn't get to do.

- I like this photo because it looks like Derek Roy is giving John Zeiler a seizure.

Roy did have a good game, and was the best forward on the ice for the Sabres. It's good to see him start to heat up, although I have no idea who his linemates are anymore. The past two games I think Lindy is just throwing people on the ice just to see what happens. I mean it sort of worked last night, but I don't think that's really the best policy.

- I think the Gauthier sucker punch is really interesting, and I've watched it at least 20 times today. I'm going to turn that into the gameday post for Montreal, so check back later for that.

Buffalo Sports Fan's Christmas List VI

by Ryan

Last year we did a sarcastic Secret Santa series around the holiday season, but this year we thought it would be nice to actually help you out. Every day until Christmas we will give you something to give the Buffalo Sports fan in your life. Think of it as the gift guide for the depressed guy/girl who has ~~everything~~ nothing. Some will be useful, some will be pointless, and all will be accepted if you want to give us a present.

Today we'll give you two things that also might ship before Christmas. Not to get all Bill Simmons on you, but if you want to give someone a non-sports related gift involving the interwebs I'd go with an Amazon Prime membership. I spent a bunch of money on Amazon back in August and got a free three month membership. I'd never pay $80 bucks for it myself, but if someone were to do it for me I'd be thrilled. Free two day shipping is a thing of beauty.

Anyway, over the weekend I'm going to give two Bills-related things that you could get in time for the big day from Amazon. The first is "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, a book about Bills history.

I actually bought this for my girlfriend last Christmas, and from what I've heard it was a pretty good read. I haven't "borrowed" it back yet but I'm sure I'll get around to it eventually. There are a lot of books out there about Buffalo sports, but something like this seems pretty necessary. You can't read about all the bad stuff at once, and just reading about the good times would feel like something was... missing. I think if you're going to pick just one book you should make sure it distinctly points out the balance.

Check back tomorrow for something much more uplifting.

Friday, December 19, 2008

Shovels Full of Hope

by Ryan

I love playing teams in the Western Conference, but with the way the schedule's been the past few seasons I feel like I just don't know a lot about some of these teams. Unfortunately, the Kings are one such team. The last time we played them it looked something like this, with an 8-2 final against a rookie goalie getting his first ever NHL start. Yeah, that was a heck of a road trip.

On the surface you could say things haven't changed much for either team. The Sabres are decidedly underachieving thus far, and the Kings are still mediocre and appearing to rebuild. Youth abound on both teams, and what looks like low expectations for two teams with legitimate potential.

Looking around the blogosphere is always a good way to get a feel for a team. Battle of California is your best bet for Kings info and they have a shiny new website thanks to SBNation, so I'd give them a look. If you didn't see how they put into perspective the Sabres' last meeting with L.A., I'd take a look.

The Sabres have a pretty terrible record at home, but according to Lindy it's because, well, I guess it's too hard to play at home or something. Hey, it's hard to question that logic. The good news is that the Kings have a pretty awful record on the road (3-6), so maybe those two will equal out and there won't be any excuses for tonight. Yeah, right.

Considering the weather and a Friday night Kings game that is way overpriced, the mood inside the arena will be a strange one. That may be just what this team needs. Then again, I have no idea what this team needs. Let's just see how Butler plays and if the Sabres can beat a decidedly average team at home. Seems reasonable.

7:30 tonight from a 70% full HSBC Arena. Hey, at least I didn't say it was 30% empty.

Snow Day and Other Thoughts

by Ryan

- When I was a little kid, snow days meant no school, sitting around the house all day, watching The Price is Right, playing video games., and building a snow fort. Now it means I can't go places, shovel six times, and try to help my neighbors avoid a crippling heart attack. Either way I wish I had one of these (second one)

- This is why I don't consider myself a "well informed citizen": Yesterday I saw this headline and my first thought was, "Wow, he's really taking this college football playoff thing seriously."

- Jonathan had an excellent point in the comments regarding Ellis' callup. To quote:

Ellis played with the Kings so he got called up so they know what their gameplan will be. Then sent right back down

A move right from the Belichick play book.

I'm not sure I believe it or not, but it sure is fun to consider whether Darcy and Lindy are that smart.

- A quick look at the ticketing system for the Sabres says that there are plenty of seats available in the corners for tonight's game. I made the joke that because of the weather they should immediately drop the prices to "value" level. Not sure if it's a coincidence, but there's a fancy promotion button there now. Quick! Check the Blue Jays website!

- I find it sort of sad that I have 25 posts labeled with "seriously punch me in the face". Speaking of that, is having that huge list of tags annoying to anyone? I feel like we should work on a tag cloud or something, but I'm not the one who has to look at the site all that much. Let me know what you think.

- Okay, back outside to shovel. If you don't see a post before gametime, well, I hope you like when Chris posts.

Buffalo Sports Fan's Christmas List V

Thursday, December 18, 2008

The Reinforcements Have...Been Recalled?

From Sabres.com

BUFFALO, NY (December 18, 2008) – Buffalo Sabres GM Darcy Regier announced today the Sabres have recalled defenseman Chris Butler and forward Matt Ellis from Portland (AHL). In addition, Regier also announced that Nathan Gerbe has been placed on Injured Reserve.

Butler (10/27/1986, 6’1”, 200 lbs.) has 12 points (2+10) and 14 PIMs in 27 games in his first professional season with Portland. A native of St. Louis, Mo., Butler played college hockey with the University of Denver for three years before turning pro. He finished with 66 points (20+46) in 115 games for the Pioneers, with 11 of his 20 goals coming on the power play. Butler was Buffalo’s 4th-round selection (96th overall) in the 2005 Entry Draft.

Ellis (8/31/81, 6’1”, 210 lbs.) has picked up four points (2+2) in 12 games with Portland this season. He started the season in Buffalo and was held pointless in seven games, after being claimed off waivers from Los Angeles in the preseason. Ellis has eight points (3+5) in 77 career NHL games with Buffalo, Los Angeles and Detroit.

Gerbe didn’t play in Wednesday’s loss to New Jersey, after suffering an upper body injury in last Saturday’s 4-2 win over the Devils. Gerbe had one point in five games since being recalled from Portland on December 6.

Interesting selections.

Hopefully bringing Butler up will spark the defense to play with a little more passion. Him getting the call over Mike Weber will certainly be a topic of discussion. Rookie nerves are inevitable but I'm excited to see what Butler will bring to the table.

And Ellis doesn't exactly provide any offensive firepower (remember Stafford and two grinders provided all of the Sabres goals last game). Ellis was more or less of a nowhere man in his first stint with the Sabres so I'm surprised Ruff and Regier decided to go with him again over Marc Mancari or Tim Kennedy.

I wouldn't be shocked if Nathan Paetsch and Clarke MacArthur find themselves watching tomorrow night's game against the Kings in the press box.

Can't wait to hear what Ruff has to say after tomorrow's practice.

Hammer Time

by Ryan

So it looks like Trent Edwards will be starting on Sunday, but yesterday I got the best text message of the season from the Bills. No, it wasn't that Dick Jauron was mauled by a bear, but close. Here, let's just quote the article I linked instead.

Gibran Hamdan was the backup signal caller the last two weeks with Trent Edwards too injured to be anything more than an emergency quarterback against Miami and New York.

But this week with all three of Buffalo’s quarterbacks healthy Hamdan will remain the backup for the Denver game.

That's right J.P., to the back of the bus you go.

What's so great about this move is that it looks like the Bills are doing everything they can to screw over Losman's job search for a job come Free Agency. Everyone knows that his time in Buffalo is over, and he's even been talking about next year in his press conferences. It looks like the Bills didn't appreciate that much, and suddenly he's not even our second best option.

It may not have a real impact on what happens to him but you can't deny the symbolism in the move. The sad thing is that this may be the best roster move the team has made all year. The Bills may not be good at much these days, but they sure know how to screw over their own players.

Buffalo Sports Fan's Christmas List IV

Another Reason to Holdout

By Chris

I'm not a professional football player. That much is obvious.

But if I refused to show up for work for 43 days, don't answer anyone's calls and become a mysterious recluse because I want a new contract, then I probably won't have a job to come back to. There's absolutely no chance I would be honored in the office at the end of the year as the best in my department and earn a week vacation in Hawaii.

That's because I'm not a professional football player.

Jason Peters, as it was announced yesterday, is going to Honolulu to represent the AFC as the conference's starting left tackle in the Pro Bowl on Feb. 8.

Still scratching your head over it?

It really doesn't make much sense, considering Peters' situation and the position the Bills are in. Has he really been that spectacular this year? If I recall it took him a few games to even get back in the swing of things. He may be very talented, but he shouldn't be on the Pro Bowl squad this season.

If anything, this gives him even more ammunition in his inevitable holdout once OTA's start up again. The Bills have a wealth of problems at a variety of positions (quarterback, linebacker, safety, center, tight end, wide receiver, the list goes on and on). The last thing they need to worry about is having a left tackle who goes MIA again for two months while you're trying to get through training camp.

If I'm Russ Brandon and a team is looking to trade for Peters, who will probably make the Pro Bowl for the rest of his career based on reputation alone, then I'm certainly taking the call and listening. Take the picks or bodies (or both) and rebuild this team.

A franchise with as many problems as the Bills needs as few distractions as possible and just focus on the football--a losing team with divas on it? Who even wants to even cheer for that?

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

A View from the Roost: The Start of Nothing

by Ryan

I don't exactly believe in the "you should always beat tired teams" philosophy, nor do I believe in the "play a different style at home" philosophy either. I think both ideas are far too simple; there are always other factors in how you play, and a "game" isn't something you put on like an outfit. What I do believe in is that if your "game" consists of stupid, defensively inept hockey you will lose.

Regardless of anything else, that last statement rang true tonight. The Sabres made stupid mistakes early to get themselves in a hole, and absolutely soul crushing mistakes to put the game away late. Bad penalties, awful turnovers, and missed opportunities took away another very winable home game.

The biggest problem with this team is that no one seems to give a damn on the defensive end. Three goals were scored on the rebound in front of Miller tonight, and no one seemed to be in any particular hurry to put a body on a guy. Other than the Salvador tip and the Clarkson disaster the rest of the Devils goals could have been avoided by clearing the front or, better yet, clearing the side of the net.

The Sabres have had defensive issues for the past two seasons, but we may be reaching the boiling point here. Lydman continues to be the bright spot on a group of guys that has become an odd mix of elderly, inept, and youthfully incompetent. Not a good showing from seven guys who were supposed to come together and show signs of improvement.

You have to give the Devils credit for how they've been playing lately, but I think a lot of what happened tonight was a direct result of individuals playing stupid hockey. Clarke MacArthur is a great example of this. He takes a stupid, retaliatory cross checking penalty about ten minutes in that led directly to an early deficit.

His issue started on a faceoff at the beginning of his shift, and he spent the remainder of his time on ice looking for payback. He came away empty handed, and as the play moved into the Sabres end he went off for a change, but not before going out of his way to cross check a random Devil, right in front of an official. It's a futile attempt at personal retribution that will only cost your team, and it did. He goes to the box, Hank gets called on a hook 50 seconds later, and before Clarke can hit the ice again it's in the net.

I don't care if Tallinder shouldn't have been called for that penalty, and I don't care how weak the cross check was. Clarke MacArthur took himself out of the game to satisfy a personal aim last night, and it directly correlated with his team losing. It was a stupid, selfish, immature play that you just can't have in a game like this. The Sabres came back after an early goal and Clarke throws all that away because someone gave him a rough ride for a shift? If that's how he needs to play hockey I don't want him on my team.

I'm also willing to part with Nathan Paetsch, who had a putrid game. He and Teppo make me die a little on the inside with each shift, and I think it's time for another round of the Mike Weber Experience if Rivet is going to be out for an extended period. Nathan and Clarke combined to give David Clarkson the game of his life, with MacArthur getting blown up along the boards and Paetsch forgetting that the other team is allowed to handle the puck. That giveaway was disgusting, plain and simple.

Perhaps Miller should have had that save, but perhaps those two also shouldn't be lying on the ice with two Devils alone in front. Ryan didn't exactly have a stellar game, but I'm not pinning the loss on him when I saw what was playing in front of him. There were too many guys trying to do too much and ending up doing nothing at all. Sekera trying to stickhandle through a phone booth instead of making a good pass. Max making one good move and then two bad ones. There were too many guys standing around instead of playing good, solid hockey and it makes the entire team look bad as result, goaltender included.

Saturday night and the Sabres' recent play made it look like things were starting to turn around, but the more we see the more it looks like the start of nothing in particular. Sloppy play at home equals zero playoff games, and what we saw tonight was the same group of guys play "meh" hockey once again. The more games I see like this the more I think this team needs to be shaken up; but the more I get to know about this team makes me think that absolutely nothing will be done.

A few other things while Paetsch gives away all your Christmas presents:

- I have no idea what was going on with the lines last night. Why Goose was out there late with Pominville and Hecht is a mystery to me, as is putting Vanek on with Mair and Kotalik. Was he being punished or something? Why put two centers on the same line and demote your best player? I mean it kind of worked for the Gaustad goal, but I'm pretty sure Vanek can put in a layup like that, too. Strange.

- Things started really well with the Sabres first power play, but that was mostly because the Devils just refused to skate. No idea if it was "tired legs" or what, but they had absolutely no blue line pressure on that first penalty kill, and the Sabres worked the puck around with ease. However, it was the only real chance with the man advantage because for the rest of the night they pressured hard and did a great job forcing passes from the point. To be honest that's exactly what I expected, but I was surprised to see them so lax that first time out.

- The PA announcer was freaking terrible. He announced the Sabres second and third goals before announcing the two prior Devils goals. How does that even happen? I know they happened relatively close to one another, but did you forget or something? Did you think we would forget? Come back, other guy with better voice inflection.

- I went to the game with a friend I'd never watched hockey with. This seems obvious, but it was sort of strange because everything was so different. We left at a different time, parked in a different spot, and sat in a completely different place. It was sort of like having a dream that was based on your real life. Things were relatively normal but you knew something was... off. You know your refrigerator shouldn't be on the ceiling but it seems okay within the context of the situation.

- Max made the best defensive play of his career tonight, and if he would have scored on the resulting rush it would have been the best shift of his life. I know that's not really saying much, but maybe Darcy should hit the phones now. This may be the best show we get out of him.

- Kaltea reminded all of us that he does have some offensive talent when he chooses to use it. I think that's good to know.

The Slackers and the Devils

by Ryan

So a commenter left a question for us that I've been meaning to talk about for a day or so now. I'll let Slacker propose it and go from there:

With regards to three veterans post from a couple months ago...Do you take Connolly with 6 games and 7 points, or Max with 27 games, 10 points and a -12?

I honestly gave this a good amount of thought and asked around a bit, and I think I would take Tim Connolly. This may take a bit of explaining, but here goes. First of all let's forget their cap hits, because there's no way to take those off the books. Let's look at this from a "guy you'd rather have on your roster" perspective.

For as much of a hard time as we give a guy like Tim Connolly, the fact of the matter is that when he's in the lineup he performs well. Even in the six he's dressed for Timmy has racked up over a point per game, and although that's a minuscule sample size his other seasons have similar numbers. The major, major problem with him as a player is his propensity to get hurt, but when he's on the active roster he only helps this team.

Maxim Afinogenov does not always help this team. That's the main difference between the two players, and the reason why he's not my pick. While Max can play brilliant hockey at times those instances are rare, and often you would assume him playing actually hurts your team. Where Timmy produces when able, Max flounders the majority of his games, producing less in a much greater period of time.

The positive with Timmy, which is sort of a backhanded one but still a positive, is that when Tim Connolly is not productive you have an open roster spot. Other players can step in when Timmy's hurt and make up for it. When Max isn't productive he's still on your roster, turning over the puck and struggling mightily.

It's sort of a ridiculous argument to have, but even with all the frustration and injuries Tim Connolly hurts this team less. If I have to throw somewhere between $2-4 million at a player I'm going to end up hating, I'd pick him. It's a great question because it is in fact reality, and it's interesting to examine two completely different kinds of underachieving.

I guess what we've learned here is that Tim Connolly and Maxim Afinogenov are huge letdowns, but Timmy is clearly better at it. I'd love to hear what you guys think about this as well. Some other things about the Sabres and Devils, which I suppose this post should really be about.

- I don't want to say something like "If this team had any balls they would go after someone because of the Gerbe hit", but I'm pretty sure I feel that way. I'm not saying I expect anything to happen, but I'd love to see it.

- Somehow I'm going to this game. I literally have no idea how this happened, but I'm not complaining.

- I think the crowd tonight will be an interesting mix of midweek indifference and expecting excitement. That might not make sense, but if you've been to a bronze or value game this year you probably get what I'm saying.

- Speaking of pricing, this is the last game for some time that isn't at least a silver. I know that a lot of people buy tickets as gifts and so the demand will be there, but couldn't they wait one more game? Silver to see the Kings? Really?

- Yahoo Sports has the game live if you live outside of the WNY viewing area.

- I fully expect Atlas to go off tonight.

I will have a bunch of things to talk about after this one. And thank you for the kind words about my "The Continental" post. I've literally had that idea in my head for two months now.

Moment of Silence

by Ryan

Before we go about our respective evening plans I feel it necessary to ask for a moment of silence. You see, tonight the Canisius College Golden Griffins will travel down the 90 to take on the Syracuse Orange. Now while I don't think the result of this journey was ever in doubt, recent events have combined to give this game the potential to be really, really bad.

You see, Canisius is not that good. This isn't much of a surprise to anyone. What also isn't much of a surprise is that Syracuse is indeed a very good basketball team. As someone who watched them dismantle Long Beach State on Saturday I can say they have the potential to do some real damage in the tournament next March.

And then this went and happened.

So tonight Canisus isn't just going to lose, they are going to get murdered. This is going to be an angry Orange team taking on a hapless group of Griffs. There will be no "hanging in there", only an outright slaughter that the crowd will be begging to see. That frustration from that three point dagger will be taken out in full force.

So tonight say a prayer for the Griffs. It's going to be a long bus ride back to the 716.

Tim Connolly is... The Continental

by Ryan

[Door opens]

Ah yes! Please... come in! I am so happy to see you could make it this evening. Please, please, take a look around. Would you like some vintage Champagna?

You look... so lovely this evening. Like a Sicilian nymph luring Odysseus away from his ship. Ah the tale of Odysseus, what a wondrously woven story. Woven much like your dress, which holds you together. You see, in my various stages of respite I have become quite the reader. Come! Let me show you my rich collection of novels.

[Takes books off shelf]

Ah yes, what a lovely tale of... love. It's something I find easy to... sink my teeth into. I hope you will turn out much the same way. You.. wof.. my arctic hush puppy! Let me show you some more!

Ah yes... the Monster Blood. Look at those lips, so much like yours. So... exquisite. You are a woman of fine taste, and a fine tasting woman knows that a monster lurks inside every man. This is my favorite work of literature by far, as I know what every word means. Mmmmnnnn... let us continue exploring our expository pleasures!

I must confess... this is one of my favorites as well. The fabric of this tale warms such... wonderful places! You minx! I'd love to see where your pants travel! Perhaps we can explore that story short-[book falls off shelf]

[Girl runs, The Continental intercepts]

Oh! Forgive me! Wow! Wowee-wow-wow! That one is from my private collection. A hobby, you see. I've developed many... hobbies in my free time. Please... would you please have more Champagna and indulge me further?

[Nods]

You see, in my spare time I have become... a fiend. A... how shall I put this lightly... a poker fiend. I must say that I love to... poker. My wish is to do it for a living some day, and to be quite frank I would like to go into business with you, my dear. Come! Let me show you the engine that powers my light. Come! I beseech you! Let me... poker with you!

[Shakes head no]

Ah! Okay! Let us move on then. Please, please, sit down my lovely little scallion. You have the finest... eyes I have seen on a woman in some time. So round and nubile! Such... eyes should be caressed by the finest of... pillows. Here, let me fix them for you!

[Leans forward, something falls out of bathrobe]

Wow! Wowee-wow-wow-wow!

[Girl runs away]

No, wait! Wait, no! no, don't leave! Please! My intention.. my intention, you misunderstood! Please, forgive me! Wait! If you change your mind, you can call me!

Join us again next week, for another chapter in the life of.. The Continental.

Buffalo Sports Fan's Christmas List III

By Chris

Last year we did a sarcastic Secret Santa series around the holiday season, but this year we thought it would be nice to actually help you out. Every day until Christmas we will give you something to give the Buffalo Sports fan in your life. Think of it as the gift guide for the depressed guy/girl in your life who has ~~everything~~ nothing. Some will be useful, some will be pointless, and all will be accepted if you want to give us a present.

Today, two books on the early days of the Buffalo Bills that I hope to find under my Christmas tree.

First, Rockin' the Rockpile: The Buffalo Bills of the American Football League by Jeffrey Miller.

The book is massive, almost 600 pages in length, and tells the story of the Bills from their first kickoff. If you're looking to learn about the history of the team and detailed narratives of the team's early years in the AFL.

Also for your consideration regarding the early years of the Bills, Larry Felser's new book, The Birth of the New NFL: How the 1966 NFL/AFL Merger Transformed Pro Football.

This book may actually serve as a sequel to Rockin' the Rockpile, as Felser talks in great depth into what went into merging the two most powerful pro football leagues in the country. Felser looks into the founding of the league we all love and hate, the NFL and how it all came to be.

I haven't read either yet, but I hope to be able to get through at least one of them over the holiday break.

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Buffalo Goes Blue and Orange

Man that is one ugly buffalo. But at least it's not a slug.

New uniforms will be unveiled on Jan. 16.

UPDATE: If you plan on going to Dunn Tire Park for a game in the spring, you're going to get lost. Welcome to Coca-Cola Field.

And am I the only one who hopes that this new logo only ends up on the jersey as a patch on the sleeve? I really hope they keep a stylized "B" on the caps.

Gill's not going anywhere yet

By Chris

Good news from the UB Athletics Department today:

University at Buffalo head football coach Turner Gill will remain on the Bulls sidelines in 2009 and for the foreseeable future after receiving an extension and increase in salary for the Bulls outstanding accomplishments this year.

Due to University policy, terms of the agreement will not be released.

[...]

“On the day I came here to be the head coach I told my team that one day we would be successful here at the University at Buffalo,” said Gill. “Now, more than ever, I have never been more proud to be the head coach of this program at this great academic institution. This program has proven it can win now and it is built to continue to win in the future. I am grateful to President John Simpson and Athletic Director Warde Manuel for their continued support and faith in me as a football coach and leader of young men.

“I additionally want to thank our coaching staff and support staff for all they have done that has allowed us to have success in our football program,” said Gill.

Gill's contract will now run through the 2013 season, with a rollover option each year, and his raise in pay will place him as one of the highest-paid coaches in the Mid-American Conference. All of the Bulls' assistant coaches will also see an increase in their compensation.

“I am extremely proud of the accomplishments of Turner, his coaching staff and his team,” said Manuel. “They have brought unprecedented attention to the University at Buffalo and have been great ambassadors for the school. I am thrilled that Turner will remain as our head coach, and with President John Simpson, am elated to reward him and his staff for their efforts.”

Here we have a Buffalo football coach getting an extension that no one will complain about. Everyone associated with UB should be proud of the team and excited for what the future holds. Even if this may certainly be Gill's last season in Buffalo.

Here and There

by Ryan

Just a few thoughts for the afternoon.

- I was watching the Monday Night game last night and realized something: I would be really, really satisfied with the broadcast if Tony Kornheiser wasn't involved. I've always liked Jaws, and Mike Tirico has done an excellent job of growing into the role. He actually gets excited, rarely says stupid things, and he doesn't rely on the tired cliches that bother most people when it comes to announcers.

Most importantly, he seems to really understand football and doesn't dumb down the game at all. It's probably a result of sitting in the same booth as Ron Jaworski for five months, but he will describe blitz packages, notices when a quarterback checks down or reads a defense, and is willing to inform the audience of these things without sounding like a complete tool. You can tell he takes his job really seriously, and it's just nice to see that in such a high profile guy. Last night's game was almost a complete waste of time, but I'd be lying if I told you I didn't watch the whole thing.

- It looks like the Nathan Gerbe Experiment will be on hold for a bit. I'm not exactly sure what this will do to the roster, but Kaleta coming back will help a ton. Hopefully other teams didn't notice that Montreal figured out how to handle him.

- Craig Rivet being out for an extended period of time is disappointing, but letting rehab and stay on the shelf for a bit is not a huge loss as far as his level of play. Of course having your captain in the press box is tough, but he has been visibly struggling for the past month with the variety of injuries he's had.

Chris and I have sent "he's definitely still hurt" text messages to each other at least a half dozen times since he's returned from that knee injury. Letting him heal will be better for the team down the road when it (hopefully) really counts. That said, Paetsch hasn't been the best and when he's paired with Teppo I slam my face on the panic button the entire shift. Add in a struggling Sekera and we have another season of shaky D play in front of sometimes iffy goaltending.

- Mirtle has been looking at where NHL players come from, and a few days ago he did New York State. It's pretty cool to see that the youth hockey in WNY has made a legitimate impact on the league. We all know about guys like Stempniak and Kane, but you might forget about Foligno and even that Timmy's from Baldwinsville.

James is right, the fact that a lot of former Sabres stay in the area after retirement does help the hockey landscape around here. Try going to the Pepsi Center and not hitting a former player coaching or watching their kids, let alone the practices the current Sabres put on there. We knew a lot of guys in the league were from the area, but 15% of all U.S. players is a huge number, and it looks like that number is only going to increase with guys like Thomas McCollum and Tim Kennedy in the NHL pipeline.

- I like that we have players on our teams that make stories like this possible. Lots of good quotes in there, but he didn't call Vanek "Atlas" once. Bummer.

- I messed around with the template yesterday, so let me know what you think of the changes. I basically made the links on the sidebar a bit darker. Too dark? Don't care? In a related story, I really want to widen the main column but I'm not exactly sure how to alter the html like that. Any ideas?

The Ugly Side of Sports

By Chris

With the hiring of Gene Chizik at Auburn, many around the country are basically up in arms that UB coach Turner Gill didn't get the job.

Charles Barkley is leading the charge.

“I’m in shock that Turner didn’t get that job,” Barkley told The Buffalo News on Monday. “First of all he deserved the job — I’m in shock. It’s so frustrating because he should have gotten the Nebraska job, and it’s frustrating to me that a guy with a proven track record doesn’t get these jobs. It’s no disrespect to the coaches who get these jobs.”

Members of the Alabama media are also scratching their heads over Auburn's decision to hire a less qualified coach.

Josh Moon of the Montgomery Advertiser writes:

Forget their coaching records, where Gill clearly has an edge. Forget fan sentiment, where Gill clearly has an edge. And forget recruiting prowess, where Gill clearly has an edge.

The higher-ups at AU disregarded all of that and picked Chizik for one simple reason: That's the guy they felt comfortable with.

And that's a problem. A big one.

Now don't get me wrong here. I'm not saying that comfort was built entirely on the color of Chizik's skin. Obviously, I believe race played a big role in this, but it wasn't the only factor, and maybe not even the biggest factor.

It seems the most appealing attribute offered by Chizik was his willingness to bend and give up some control to AU's meddlesome group of boosters and power players.

Of course, because race is being heavily played into this, the situation is also getting plenty of coverage by the national media.

Outside the Lines did a piece about the curiously low number African-American head coaches in Division I and featured an interview with Gill from January 2007:

At the end of the piece, Bob Ley interviewed ESPN.com football writer Mark Schlabach, who was critical of Chizik's hiring in a recent column.

Schlabach said that Gill not getting hired by Auburn and other teams in the SEC goes deeper than just the color of his skin, but also because of the race of his family.

Deadspin's got the link to the interview segment.

Ley put it best when he said, "2009 and you heard that." How far have we really come in terms of equality?

There's no question Gill is a talented coach who will one day be hired to head up a major program. He's too good to get passed over again and again.

Gill knows what he's up against though, and like he's done throughout his coaching career at Buffalo, he's only concerning himself with matters that he can control.

From The Buffalo News story:

Gill was asked Monday if he was given a fair opportunity during the interview process at Syracuse and Auburn.

“It’s up for everybody’s own opinion,” said Gill, who withdrew his name for consideration at Syracuse. “I feel as if I had a sincere look. God has a plan and if he wanted me to be at those particular places he would have placed me there. I’m excited to be the head football coach here and we’ll see how things work out.”

In other news, Gill is a finalist for the Paul "Bear" Bryant College Football Coach of the Year award:

The 2008 Paul Bear Bryant College Football Coach of the Year Finalists, in alphabetical order: Mack Brown, University of Texas; Turner Gill, University at Buffalo; Mike Leach, Texas Tech University; Houston Nutt, University of Mississippi; Chris Petersen, Boise State University; Nick Saban, University of Alabama; Bob Stoops, University of Oklahoma and Kyle Whittingham, University of Utah.

That's some pretty good company. The winner will be announced on Jan. 15.

Buffalo Sports Fan's Christmas List II

by Ryan

Last year we did a sarcastic Secret Santa series around the holiday season, but this year we thought it would be nice to actually help you out. Every day until Christmas we will give you something to give the Buffalo Sports fan in your life. Think of it as the gift guide for the depressed guy/girl in your life who has ~~everything~~ nothing. Some will be useful, some will be pointless, and all will be accepted if you want to give us a present.

Today's gift is a bit pricey, but we may have found one even the most frugal of shoppers may find acceptable. What are we talking about? Fatheads, of course.

Sorry, that one's for Nolan Pratt. Anyway, there are quite a few choices a Buffalo sports fan could find wall space for. Bruce Smith is there if you want to celebrate his Hall of Fame induction a bit early. If you want something more recent you can go with Ryan Miller, or even just go with a logo or helmet if you want to take the easy way out.

The problem is that these things are way overpriced, but this one is almost worth it. Actually, anything that puts a six foot tall Jim Kelly on your wall is worth the asking price, really.

We figure this one has the best chance to mean something to you the longest. Current players will come and go, and the slug logo isn't worth putting up anywhere, but Jim Kelly will always be Jim Kelly.

Unless you never really liked him, then go with the Stanley Cup.

Monday, December 15, 2008

Nowhere to Go

Great. That's just what we need, another crappy quarterback on the dole.

Not Enough Shoes in the World

by Ryan

7-9. 7-9. 6-8. You have to admit the man's consistent. Going into week five the Bills had a 84.9% likelihood of making the playoffs. Then we realized they can't beat anyone with a winning record. In fact, since their last playoff appearance the Bills have a sub .200 record against teams with winning records, and that number is only going to get smaller this year.

Yeah, everything seems to be going juuuust fine.

Did the James Hardy injury even affect you? I got that message today and it was like being told we're out of milk. What a disappointment of a season for that rookie. So much for that immediate impact player.

Looking back on the season it seems to be a colossal disappointment all around. From the play on the field to the personnel decisions to marketing and public relations. Everything has gotten worse. Trent has regressed, and Lee didn't touch the ball despite getting a huge contract extension. The Crowell Decision. Another year full of injuries on defense. Schobel. Marshawn's legal troubles. The Toronto game. Everywhere you look is disappointment and mediocrity, yet it looks like nothing will change.

It's embarrassing, sad, depressing, and scary. I'm embarrassed to remember how optimistic we were about this team, and depressed about where they are headed. Almost nothing positive came out of another five months of Bills football. Nothing. No improvement, no lessons learned, just more extensions and empty promises.

In fact, the only thing that has improved for this team is the bottom line. Sometimes it's just hard to remember that's all that matters.

Atlas in Hades

by Ryan

This game was my first "Cone of Silence" game of the year, which is kind of amazing considering it's December already. In any event, I turned this game on at about 5AM Sunday morning and considered "live blogging" it, but I didn't know what to expect and the only text message I got about it was from Chris. It said "Wow. I've never seen Vanek drop so many f bombs at once." That didn't give me much hope, so I wasn't going to waste three hours writing about a game I'd end up hating.

---

First of all, I love everything about this picture:

I'm working on a montage of officials screwing up, but this one was just too good to hold back. Tim Peel appears to be making a lot of friends this year. Anyway, back to the real story, and the only story that matters so far this year: Thomas Vanek.

I feel like at times he's the only player we talk about, but can you really say enough about what we've seen this year? 24 goals in 30 games. Seven multi-goal games. Night in and night out he's the best player on the ice, and as the season progresses he only seems to get better. He isn't the fastest and he may not have the best moves, but Thomas Vanek is blowing teams away by himself. When was the last time we had a player this potent at all times? LaFontaine? Mogilny?

Both goals were the result of great work by teammates, and that's something that should be addressed as well. Both Hecht and Pominville have played excellent hockey together over the past week or so, and their numbers prove it. Hecht is such an underrated player in the league, and I still think his contract will be a steal when it's all said and done. He hasn't put up big numbers so far, but he has been working hard on both ends and will only get better playing next to Atlas.

Pominville has been an interesting player this year as well. He too has struggled early, and looked to have the same problem with expectations that Vanek had in the wake of a large contract last year. Despite being near the team lead in points all season you could still categorize his season as "quiet", but now he seems to be heating up. He has proven in the past that he's more than just "Briere's guy" and he will prove again this year he's more than "Vanek's guy" too.

This whole team seems to be heating up, really. I talked about him as a disappointment, but Drew Stafford has been very good lately, and Derek Roy's goal total is creeping up as well. Roy's power play goal on Saturday night was a thing of beauty, and those chances were missed nets earlier in the year. This is a streaky team in a streaky league, but good things happen when a half dozen guys heat up at the same time.

It's not just the scoring forwards that have been hot, either. Paul Gaustad had another great game on Saturday, and Adam Mair has played very well all season. Both players have stepped up significantly since the loss of Peters and Kaleta, and Goose has been hitting everything as of late. Knowing your 3rd and 4th line guys will come out flying is a big help, and maybe having two of the more physical players on the team out will help this team with that aspect in the long run.

I mean, who would have thought Nathan Gerbe would be hitting everything as well? Whether it's rookie enthusiasm or how he's really going to play, it's great to see him giving it out just as much as he's getting it. Gerbe has been a pleasant surprise thus far, and it's good to see that when some forwards hit the road later in the year there will be players in Portland ready to step in with confidence.

So what does a win in New Jersey mean for this team? Well, I'd like to say a lot but it's hard to tell. The Sabres dropped a game they should have won at home and went into New Jersey with no rest against a very hot team. It looked like a game they were bound to lose but I couldn't figure out why. There was no home ice advantage, the Sabres were clearly outplaying Jersey, and Lalime was putting together a solid performance in the backup role. Still, after watching a game slip away at home was there any reason to think this one wouldn't go the same way?

Then Drew Stafford put on the pressure, drew a penalty, and Roy puts it in. A few minutes later Atlas puts it away, and you could only wonder why you were worrying in the first place. Everything's fine, completely under control. Nothing to see here, game over.

It may be a fluke, and maybe because of the numbers a game like this means more only in an artificial sense. However, the Sabres looked surprisingly in control on Saturday night against a Devils team that is still very good. The defense wasn't the best and guys like Sekera and Teppo continue to struggle, but this team finally had the offense to overcome those mistakes. Atlas has been carrying the load all year, but he's starting to get some help.

It could be a hot streak, but maybe it's the start of something more.

Jauron Officially Extended

From the Worldwide Leader:

Updated: December 15, 2008, 1:32 AM ET

Despite going on a 1-7 slide that left the Buffalo Bills out of the playoffs, coach Dick Jauron signed an extension on Sunday, sources told ESPN.

The deal runs through the 2011 season. ESPN and the NFL Network reported on Oct. 26 that the coach had agreed to the deal. The Bills were 5-2 at that point and in contention in the AFC East.

The Bills lost 31-27 to the New York Jets on Sunday, giving up the go-ahead score in the final two minutes.

Jauron, 56-74 in nine seasons with the Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions and Bills, entered this season in the final year of his initial three-year contract with Buffalo.

I'm not sure we've used the "Mismanagement" tag for the Bills yet, but we are now.

Buffalo Sports Fan's Christmas List

by Ryan

Last year we did a sarcastic Secret Santa series around the holiday season, but this year we thought it would be nice to actually help you out. Every day until Christmas we will give you something to give the Buffalo Sports fan in your life. Think of it as the gift guide for the depressed guy/girl in your life who has ~~everything~~ nothing. Some will be useful, some will be pointless, and all will be accepted if you want to give us a present.

A hat tip goes to 289 for this first one. 289 also has a variety of shirts available that would make lovely Christmas gifts. However, today we start with an easy one, and a relatively cheap one at that: a throwback Buffalo Sabres jersey on clearance from shop.nhl.com.

The usefulness of this product depends on how much you like the new third jersey, I suppose. If you prefer the old school look or are frugal, this is the gift for you. The catch here is that it's only available in XL, but for $45 bucks you may find a way to make it work. If you would be swimming in it, one suggestion is to buy it for the purpose of memorabilia. Framed jerseys look awesome on an office wall or even next to your big screen TV. Perfect for any man cave or even your average sized man.

Better yet, go out and find a Sabres alumni and get it signed. Or even a current Sabre, if they played on the team back when that was the third jersey it's an excellent purchase. I wouldn't recommend carrying this thing around the nightclub looking for Derek Roy or anything, but I'm just tossing ideas out here.

The bad news is that you have to buy it blank, but that may actually be for the best. (I'm looking at you, Maxim Afinogenov) If you'd like to get a name put on it and want some suggestions the comments may be the place to find that advice. I know a few readers have asked in the past and have some experience with local shops and prices. Check back each day for another gift and some more rambling.

Sunday, December 14, 2008

The one where the Roost sells out

By Jon

I'll be sure to post tomorrow about my experience covering the Portland/Albany AHL game today, but for now check out my game report for Maine Hockey Journal.

Pirates end road trip with no points

By Jon Campbell, Special to Maine Hockey Journal
ALBANY, N.Y. — Three games. Three goals. Three losses.

Ryan Weston scored the game-winning goal at the 3:01 mark of the third period, leading the Albany River Rats past the Portland Pirates, 3-1 on Sunday.

The Pirates managed to score just once in each of their last three games — all losses on the road.

“It was our seventh game in ten nights, and we looked like a tired bunch,” Pirates coach Kevin Dineen said. “We’ve spent a lot of time on the road with broken buses and travel issues that went along with it. Those are all good excuses, but good teams find a way to win no matter what the circumstances and we’re not finding ways right now.”

Things looked good for Portland early. Mike Kostka’s blast was deflected past Albany goalie Justin Peters to give the Pirates the lead on the power play after Albany’s Dwight Helminen was whistled for hooking early in the first period.

Helminen got his revenge just six minutes later. After Matt Macdonald was sent to the box for holding, Helminen’s shot from the point beat Portland goalie Jhonas Enroth behind a perfect screen by Albany’s Michael Ryan at 11:25 of the first.

After a scoreless second period, Weston, a fourth line winger, put the River Rats up for good when he cashed in on a long rebound off of a shot by defenseman Casey Borer. The goal was Weston’s first of the year and first of his professional career.

“That fourth line, they’re out there to create some energy and throw pucks at the net and crash the net, and that’s what they did,” Albany coach Jeff Daniels said.

The Pirates had plenty of chances to tie the game later in the third, but none were bigger than Matt Ellis’ shot from the left side of the net sailed wide after he was set up by Mathieu Darche from behind the net.

All hope of a possible comeback was lost late in the third, when the Pirates took two penalties in the game’s final five minutes. Dylan Hunter was caught first when he was called for tripping with 4:36 to play and Colin Murphy was whistled for interference at the 18:12 mark after he was tied up with Albany center Nick Dodge in the corner.

“It’s a shame,” Dineen said. “It was a well-played game and officiating plays such a huge part in it in marginal plays.”

After the game, Dineen had a heated exchange with the officials, though Dineen said the incident was a “non-issue.”

Already shorthanded, Enroth skated to the bench with the puck in the neutral zone, just before it was pushed back into the Pirates’ end. Borer calmly put the puck in the empty net, closing out the scoring with just 32 seconds left.

Enroth was strong in net after giving up five goals on 25 shots in the Pirates’ loss to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Saturday, stopping Nicolas Blanchard’s backhand attempt on a breakaway early in the first and keeping the Pirates in the game with several big saves late.

“He’s played very well for us in the big picture,” Dineen said. “You look at [Friday's] score and … you can say he didn’t play that well, but he actually played fine and it was more of a case of what was going on in front of him.”

The Pirates will look to get back into the win column when they head to Worcester to take on the Sharks on Friday night.

Pop Quiz

by Ryan

Q: Which Jet corresponds with each letter?

A:
J- Eric Mangini
E- Brett Favre
T- Wayne Chrebet. No really, that's Wayne Chrebet.
S- Thomas Jones?

Your answers in the comments, if you can tear yourself away from the manboobs above.

Long Overdue Post About UB Football

By Chris

I've watched more UB Football than probably anyone this year and I'm ashamed I haven't posted anything about the miraculous season the team has had.

It's been a dream season for everyone who's been involved.

Even in the fourth quarter against Ball State, after the second fumble recovery for a touchdown, I was still worried they might not be able to pull it out. I was covering the game for The Spectrum, UB's student newspaper, when Western Michigan dropped 21 points on them in the fourth quarter to tie the game and then win in overtime at UB Stadium.

I also watched them rally back in Central Michigan and miss out on a victory because of a stubborn right goal post. They've been in every game, for the good and the bad. I watched a closely contested bout against Missouri, when the more talented team stepped up and won in the fourth quarter.

There was also the Hail Mary grab by Naaman Roosevelt in the first Mid-American Conference game of the year. And the now-infamous rally in Bowling Green to clinch the division title. The team has had so many ups and downs that no lead has ever been safe--for either team.

Going into the MAC Championship game, I came to the conclusion that the Bulls were a good football team--they'll be able to capitalize on their opportunities but they'll still be prone to key mistakes that will probably cost them the game. I figured they'd lose by a score of 38-24 or something close to that.

Common sense said they would need a few turnovers to stay in the game--and boy did they ever get the turnovers.

I've listened to Bulls coach Turner Gill every week at the weekly press conference stress how they work on stripping the ball on defense. Being tenacious and being, his phrase of the year, "relentless to finish." Eventually, he said, those techniques become second nature.

The Bulls defense was outstanding it it can all be traced back to Gill.

It's obvious what he and Athletic Director Warde Manuel have done for the program and how they've made it respectable.

Last season, the rumors swirled that Gill was headed to Nebraska, his alma mater, to take over the Cornhusker program. Bo Pellini was chosen over Gill so Gill came back to Buffalo and won a conference championship.

With the accolades, he was rumored to be in line to take over at Syracuse and Auburn. The Syracuse job was filled on Friday and reports circled late yesterday that Auburn had decided on its next head coach. I had the words "Turner Gill" programmed into Google Alerts to keep me updated on any breaking news.

There's no question that Gill will leave Buffalo and take over a bigger program. It's just a matter of when and where. For now, it seems that Gill will return to UB for at least one more season. He's a tremendous coach who knows how to get the best out of his players.

But he's not just a great coach-- he's also a great leader. He's shaped young men who were only used to losing at the Division I level and shaped them into champions. Guys like Drew Willy, James Starks, Jeff Niedermier, Mike Thompson and Andrae Smith weren't even guys Gill recruited--they're players that he's adopted and made better. It's because of players like them that will likely keep Gill at the college level for his career.

You won't see him jumping to the pros (sorry disillusioned Bills fans) because he takes so much pride in helping develop young players.

Sure at times he may be a bit too conservative with his playcalling, but that's probably the most negative thing you can say about the guy. While it's unfortunate for Gill that the opportunity to move up the ladder isn't available right now, it will be soon enough. He's too good a coach and a person. UB is damn lucky that it looks like Gill will be returning to the sideline next season.

But first, they've got one more game on Jan. 3. We'll see you in Toronto.

Out of Place

I know what you're thinking: What in the world is Max doing next to those two? There's no way Maxim Afinogenov is up there with Ilya Kovalchuck and Eric Staal in terms of star power, but there he is listed as one of the NHL's "offensive stars who need to start picking up the pace" on the hockey homepage of Yahoo Sports.

Now, it's true he needs to pick up the pace. One goal on the season is awful, and he's been a mess for most of the past two years. However, does he really have that big a reputation across the league, or is it just an decent angle for the story?

Looking at the video it seems like the decision was between Modin and Max, so maybe that's why Afinogenov got the top billing. Still, with a player that's obviously on the trade market you have to wonder what people outside of Buffalo think of him. The rumors we're heard say he's not that big a ticket, and I completely believe that. Perhaps it's making something out of nothing, but when you see a guy all the time and know how frustrating his game is you may value him a bit less than others. Perhaps outsiders see the potential he has and not the struggles, which makes him more enticing.

If that's the case then the Sabres are fortunate. Someone somewhere down the line may want to take a chance and we can open a roster spot for someone who will produce. I still say Max will go elsewhere and be and thrive, but his relationship with Lindy Ruff and the $3.5 million contract has killed almost all of his use here in Buffalo.

Again it may be nothing, but it's interesting to see him there with two of the league's best. Anyone else have some theories?

Fuck You, J.P. Losman

by Ryan

You fucking stupid pile of fuck. I hate everything about you. I hope that skank you were screwing around with gives you AIDS and you die, but not before the chlamydia makes your dick rot off. I can't believe you are this retarded. You have to be fucking retarded. You have the football intelligence of a dead skunk ran over by Marshawn Lynch.

Oh that too, you fucker. You ruined a fantastic game from Marshawn Lynch, who played his balls off after taking the blame himself. He's a football player. A true football player that takes responsibility for his own actions. Unlike you, he knows when he fucks up and says so. He's not looking for a new contract, he's not thinking about next year. He's the real deal, and you are a fucktard who will be making turkey subs at Subway in five years. Try not to stab yourself with the knives, you fucking moron.

I hate you. I hate everything about your stupid neckbeard and your fucking happy feet. You are worthless. Can you even see Lee Evans? Do you know he plays football? It's pretty obvious that you can see STEVE MOTHERFUCKING JOHNSON, so that's good. Maybe you can give him plenty of practice squad reps when you're playing Arena Football next year. If they don't fold.

If I were a GM I wouldn't sign you if my entire quarterback corps got cancer and died. I'd rather start Dante Culpepper's backfat than your stupid ass. You fucking fuck. You make me want to train mutant bloodhounds to hunt you down and maul the fuck out of you. I don't care if the coaching staff told you to throw every down, you should know how much you suck and check down to a run.

I can't believe I'm watching this game. I have no faith in you, no faith in this team, and no desire to watch football anymore. You have killed football for me, and I hate you for that. If I could punch you in the face, I would hit you so hard your fucking teeth would explode. I might not get the chance, because anyone who sees around town is going to do the same. I hope you get hit by a bus and live, only so dogs can devour your entrails while you slowly bleed to death.

I consider myself a good person. I don't even swear all that much. But you, J.P. Losman, you make me a bad person. I want to do terrible things because of you, and I'm not alone. You are a plague upon humanity, and the sooner you get the fuck out of Buffalo the better.

Holy fucking fuck. I need to lie down.

Gameday Prep: Bills @ New York Jets

by Ryan

Alright guys. This week... POINTS!

It may be all over but the crying, but are you really going to stop watching now? Didn't think so. We're all in this pathetic display of football together. Consider this your Gameday Prep.

Announcers: Greg Gumbel, Dan Dierdorf (Courtesy of Awful Announcing)

Game Distribution Maps: Courtesy of the506.

Depth Charts: Jets, Bills

Stats: NFL.com, ESPN, or Yahoo Sports all do a good job. If you have fantasy teams through Yahoo, you're better off paying the ten bucks for "stattracker", it's a lifesaver.

Things They've Been Saying:
- Nick Bakay on the Toronto game.
- Simmons thinks the Bills will keep it close, so that's nice I guess.
- Absurd title for this one. No hopes left, my friend.
- Trent probably isn't playing, so I can stab myself in the eye two quarters sooner than usual today. Fun.
- Schobel's on IR now, if you're wondering.

Song that Make You Want to Die: "Brett Favre the Green Bay Packer", A Bunch of Third Graders

Fun Facts:

- Thomas Jones is on my fantasy team and is predicted to get 20 points by Yahoo Sports. This is not a receptions league, which makes me wonder if the Bills defense is actually made of real people. Maybe it's just a bunch of foosball men or something.

- O.J.'s name will stay on the Wall, in case you were worried about all that.

- Here's the current playoff picture

- FTLT has the breakdown of Money's latest internet contest. Needless to say I don't think I will win.

Okay, that's it. Game time. I'll be around all day, so if you have a thought drop a line. Comments, email, or our AIM: GoosesRoost28.

Go Bills.

Saturday, December 13, 2008

Devil in the details

By Jon

It wasn't supposed to be like this. Brodeur tore his bicep and the Devils were supposed to implode. I mean, what are the Devils without their all-world backstop?

They were supposed to fall to the back of the pack of the already mediocre Eastern Conference. They were supposed to become an easy win for the Sabres.

Well, they didn't, and much of the credit goes to one man.

Meet Scott Clemmensen.

I love stories like Clemmensen's. Drafted in 1997, went to BC for four years, spent the next six years as a backup and a good AHL goalie on some terrible teams, but couldn't quite seem to crack the starting lineup on an NHL squad.

He was a victim of circumstance, really. He was drafted by the Devils, and everyone outside of Mrs. Clemmensen knew he never had a shot at making an impact with Brodeur at the helm. He went to the Leafs last year, but the two-headed monster of Raycroft and Toskala prevented him from seeing significant time.

So he finally gets his shot, and what does he do with it? 8-3, 2.43 GAA, and a .919 save percentage after stealing the job from Kevin Weekes in less than a week's time (no pun intended).

This game couldn't come at a worse time for the Sabres. A terrible loss on a fluky goal in your own barn before making a quick trip to beautiful Newark to take on the league's hottest team.

Gametime is at 7:00 on MSG.

****

In other news, the Roost is credentialed!

We submitted a no-chance-in-hell-we-actually-get-it media pass request to the Albany River Rats PR director for tomorrow's game against Portland, and sure enough -- we got it!

I'm not sure exactly how I plan on covering the game for the Roost, but my game report will be posted by the fine folks at Maine Hockey Journal. If you haven't checked out their site, you are missing out.

One Year Ago

by Ryan

Today is a special day.

One year ago, the heavens parted and Best Buy brought forth the greatest gift ever bestowed upon mankind: HD Television.

Yes, one year ago today we made the big switch to HDTV, and it has made all the difference in the world. I watch sports with a giddiness rarely seen in my life. My top three currently includes that television, chocolate peanut butter pie at holidays, and going to see sporting events in person. If there were a holiday where I could go to a football game, then come home and eat that pie while watching more football on that TV, words could not describe my euphoria.

Still, this television hasn't just brought me joy. Not only has it made my life better, but you, the reader, have benefited from this as well. This television has brought you the Paul Gaustad Rally Helmet, as well as Eli Manning's Super Bowl Face. It also makes watching hockey games played in Nassau almost tolerable, because we all know the lighting in that building is AWFUL.

Yesterday I was talking to someone about my TV and the upcoming anniversary and he said something like, "I remember when I didn't believe in HDTV. Then I saw it and wondered why everyone kept it from me for so long." I've heard this from at least a half dozen people.

So please share with us your HDTV "moment" in the comments. We all know where we were when we first experienced it, kind of like when JFK was shot. Shot by a beautiful rainbow of colors and clarity, that is.

Smoke and Turnovers

by Ryan

That was... kind of predictable. You outplay a team for two periods and suddenly it's a tie game going into the third. If you've been following this Sabres team for the past few seasons you could sort of feel it coming. At the time I said that if they didn't score during the four minute power play coming out of the intermission they would lose. Think about the way momentum shifted at the end of the second period, a four minute penalty kill is only going to add to surge. The Sabres weren't capitalizing on their chances, and sooner or later those chances would run out and the Leafs would get a lucky one.

Game.

It was one of those games you hope they are better than, but the more this season progresses the more it seems like this is exactly how the team is going to play. They will surprise you and win a few games they probably don't deserve, only to drop the games they absolutely should win. The Sabres play frustrating hockey, both for their opponents and themselves. Tonight they were on the losing end of that frustration, and there's not much anyone can say to fix things. Until something major changes this is exactly what we are going to see.

Oh, and on back to back games the Sabres have yet to win the second game. Aren't you pumped for tonight? A few other things about Sabres/Leafs:

- I love going to hockey games with an involved crowd, but I'm glad I didn't take out a second loan to attend last night. I'm telling you, if I ever sit next to people in the 100s that stand up and wave to the camera during the game, I will stab them. I will stab them and I seriously doubt anyone else can blame me. Crowds like that are so frustrating.

- Attendance was listed as 18,211, or 97.4% full. On a Friday. So... have they out priced everyone yet? Can we have a double-secret probation game next year?

- I've been really surprised by Gerbe's physical play. He isn't afraid to take a hit and certainly hits back. He still hasn't made the score sheet just yet, but I've liked his game. We still have another four games or so left with him, so enjoy it while you can.

- Sometimes I watch Maxim Afinogenov play and I wonder what a $3.5 firework display would look like. I bet it's pretty excellent. Maybe Darcy could buy that for us next year to replace Max's contract. It's about the same, right? All flash and you're left with nothing of consequence. Just smoke and ~~turnovers~~ bright colors.

- Paul Gaustad has been playing excellent hockey the past few games. It doesn't show up in a box score, but his line has been everywhere and he's the reason for it. He's played physical, stood up for teammates, and the forecheck has been excellent with him leading the way.

- Vanek was quiet tonight, but so was everyone else really. It's a rough game when Lydman is the only Sabre on the scoresheet.

- I'm looking for a proper way to describe what Drew Stafford couldn't hit with various objects in certain situations. Right now it's between a white person at a Beck concert and oxygen anywhere. Stafford has missed soooooooo many open nets this year. What a disappointment he's turned out to be. He's an RFA at the end of this season, and I'm not sure I'd mind if we somehow couldn't keep him around. That's a pretty big departure from what we saw in his rookie season. Sad.

- Sekera was balls tonight.

Friday, December 12, 2008

No Time For Previews

by Ryan

A Friday night in Buffalo just doesn't get any better than Sabres/Leafs. No matter what record the teams have, or who's in the lineup, Sabres/Leafs is always the best ticket in town. It's just that the ticket happens to be twice as much as normal.

Quick (Perhaps Nonexistent) Hit

by Ryan

So the playoffs start in my keeper league this weekend, and I just realized that the week started last night. That whole Thursday Night Football thing happened, with the Saints and Bears playing. I guess. I didn't see it, so whatever. Anyway, I had two players in the game (Drew Brees, Robbie Gould) and I didn't even realize it was happening last night.

Now the good news is that I have 26 points in the bag going into this weekend, but, isn't this bad? The not knowing it happened thing, that is. I completely ignored NFL football last night, and even after realizing it my biggest concern was that I somehow might have had Drew Brees on my bench or something.

I mean, this is coming from a guy who shuts down on Sundays to watch nothing but football, and who even watches on Monday Night regardless of the crappiness. I don't miss opportunities to watch any kind of football, and the most powerful sports league in the country played a game last night and I didn't even bat an eye? I mean, think about how many people don't even have the ability to see this game, let alone care about it.

I mean... this is a problem, right? When the biggest fans you have couldn't care less about missing your premiere broadcast programming, it's time to lower your price tag a bit, right?

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Homeric Hymn to Atlas

by Ryan

Everyone knows that Thomas Vanek leads the league in goals thus far, and everyone knows how well he's been playing. Still, when I look back on the past year and see how much has changed I can't help but be blown away by what has happened to him. Since it's pretty evident I've been quite the downer around these parts over the past month, I thought we should all take a moment to gush about our boy Atlas to get back into a cheerful mood.

Let's start with the obvious: Thomas Vanek has been playing some freaking phenomenal hockey as of late, and when he plays like this consistently I look forward to hockey games like a giggling schoolboy looks forward to recess. The clock ticks towards noon and you just know you're going to torch the 4th graders at soccer, so the excitement is palpable amongst your 5th grade brethren.

That's life with Thomas Vanek these days. Vanek is the exchange student from Italy that grew up on pasta and free kicks, and Tampa Bay is the rag-tag group of 4th graders with serious self-confidence issues. Sure, they may get a lead and get excited for a minute or two, but Vanek is going to be there to provide the dagger sooner or later, and those 4th graders won't have the moxy to talk to girls for at least another five years.

Thomas Vanek is one of the only reasons hockey is fun around here these days, but it wasn't always like that. Remember when Thomas Vanek looked like this?

A year ago Thomas Vanek was cold and underachieving with a huge contract and even bigger expectations. Every shift was laced with lazy penalties, profanity, and missed chances. He wasn't having fun, and he certainly wasn't playing well. I openly worried about his future on the team, and we looked at the prior summer as the biggest disaster in Sabres history. It was beginning to look like we had an albatross on the roster, and not the good golfing one, either.

And here were sit now. Vanek has six multigoal games and absolutely no one outside of the 716 seems to notice this. Meanwhile I've been calling him "Atlas" for months and he's morphed into the kind of hockey player you'd commit fratricide for. He plays hard on both ends, backchecks like the opposition kidnapped his only child, and is making plays every single shift. I expect him to score every time he's on the ice, and that's not an exaggeration, nor is it expecting too much.

Let's face it, people, Thomas Vanek is a special, special person right now. His hockey IQ is off the charts, and watching him over the last few months has been an absolute gift. That backhand last night was out of this world. People (myself included) rave about Crosby's backhand and how much power he gets on it, but I've never seen someone operate so close to the net with that much skill.

When did this all happen? I don't remember the exact date, but sometime last year everything came together and he started playing the best hockey of his career. Hat trick against Tampa. Ottawa. Tampa again. Boston. It was as if the summer didn't exist, because he came right out of the gate on fire again this season. He's only had two goal scoring streaks longer than two games this year, but doesn't it feel like he's put one in every night?

To put into perspective how well he has played this year, consider this: Vanek has made Kevin Lowe look smart. That offer sheet is still a disaster, but I'd be hard pressed to find a Sabres fan who would prefer Vanek playing like this for Edmonton while we have Marek Zagrapan as our leading scorer. Exaggeration, I know, but that disaster of an off season sure feels a bit better with Atlas going off.

So in conclusion, Thomas Vanek is playing the best hockey of his life, and I've enjoyed watching every minute of it. Please join me in this lovefest by adding your own accolades in the comments, so I won't feel guilty for loving an awkward-looking Austrian this much.

Also, for 289:

Random notes: Cris Collinsworth is the man

By Jon

A few random bits and pieces...

- I know people are sick and tired of hearing about that wonderful Bills in Toronto series, but Alan Pergament has Showtime, and he brings us Cris Collinsworth's comments on "Inside the NFL"...

"In the history of the National Football League, there has never been anything dumber than the Buffalo Bills selling out their home game against the Miami Dolphins to go play in Toronto and take the cash," said Collinsworth. "Season over. Thank you very much, Buffalo Bills. I hope they spend the money wisely."

He pretty much echoes the sentiments of every Bills fan in WNY, but it's nice to hear it from a respected member of the national media.

- My reaction to the whole Ryan Miller/ref cursing situation -- Who f$#@%^&^ cares?

- Last night, after watching Atlas torch the Lightning, I posed a question to Chris and Ryan, and all three of us answered differently. It doesn't really matter, and everyone outside of Bucky and Jim Kelley have stopped caring, but I found it interesting.

Who would you rather have on your hockey team -- Chris Drury, Daniel Briere, or Thomas Vanek?

Feel free to reply in the comments and I'll gather up the responses and discuss them in a future post.

- Are there any local college basketball fans out there? The UB-UConn game seemed to bring some out of their shell, but it doesn't seem like there is much interest out there, which is a shame. Niagara has a good squad that should compete with Siena for the MAAC title and an NCAA bid, and SBU, Canisius, and UB should be better than the last few years.

Anyway, here's a game to keep an eye on -- Canisius (Ryan's school) heads to Albany (my school) on Saturday to be royally whooped by the Great Danes.

If the Griffs win, I'm egging Ryan's house. Who wants in?

Ryan Craig Needs a Hug

by Ryan

These BOLTS sure don't mind losing fights, do they? Watching Goose stand up for his own actions and come out on top is great to see, and maybe I spoke too soon about the toughness left on this team. Dare I say things are starting to slowly come together?

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

A View From the Roost: Character Win

By Chris

I don't have a ton of time now, so I'm going to hash out a quick skeleton of the major points from tonight's game against Tampa. I'll come back to it throughout the day on Thursday for everyone.

This was a huge win for the team. Looking at the simple box score, the Sabres scored four unanswered goals to come back and win on home ice. This was all done behind the tremendous efforts of, once again--who else?--Thomas Vanek.

Vanek has been unreal this season and tonight was no excpetion. It seems every time the Lightning pop up on the schedule Vanek has a big night.

The Sabres went down early but came back towards the end of the first thanks to some energy from Paul Gaustad and Adam Mair.

Goose won his fight in a landslide and caused a four minute powerplay for Buffalo. Next thing you know, the puck goes off of Stafford's stick, past Mike Smith and it's suddenly a one-goal game.

Other thoughts:

-Lydman had a very solid game, a microcosm of the great season he's been having. He's quietly been very good.

-Sekera struggled tonight in my opinion. He had a few good battles with Lecavalier in front of the net but for the most part he looked a little jumpy, indecisive and..well...just not good. Hopefully he'll be able to shake it off, otherwise I don't think Lindy would hesitate throwing Paetsch in for a game or two.

-The Sabres were physical tonight. Not just the Goose and Mair fights, but the entire team had a little extra fight in them tonight. Even Gerbe towards the end of the game went out of his way to finish a check in his own zone. It's the little things the team has done the last three games that have made the difference. They're crashing the net and creating opportunities with their bodies. Stuff they don't do nearly often enough.

-Miller was very strong tonight. Came up huge when they needed him to, especially in the third.

-Officiating was a joke tonight. The delay of game call (I though the officials were supposed to blow the whistle when they lost sight of the puck...), the no goal call (was there a whistle?), the boarding call (was it even icing?). It goes on and on. Between what we've seen the refs do to Kaleta and Roy, then the swearing incident and now tonight's job, you almost wonder if there is a slight bias against this team. It really shouldn't matter, but it makes you think sometimes.

-A few rows above me, there was a little girl who decided to scream during every stoppage. For the entire stoppage. Thank God her parents took her home during the second period because I'm pretty sure someone was going to snap and throw her into the 100 Level.

-Speaking of leaving early, Bill Clinton didn't even stay past the first period. I'm sure he has other committments and whatnot, but there's something about going to a game and leaving early that doesn't sit well with me (then again I'm the kind of guy who felt guilty leaving a UB basketball game last Saturday at halftime). At least they introduced Clinton early in the game...otherwise it would have been pretty embarrassing.

I'll have more throughout the day (I knew I would probably regret going to a game during exam week...). In the meantime, feel free to talk amongst yourselves in the comments. I'll probably end up throwing a few of the talking points into this post as well.

"There is no Ryan Miller Situation"

by Ryan

Tim Peel in a quieter time with a much louder Sabres goalie

Listen, if the NHL says that nothing happened on Monday then I believe them. Why? Because the NHL is always right about everything, and as an infallible governing body it is futile to question it. Nothing ever happens that is out of their control or doesn't fall in their favor. That's just how it is, and the sooner you understand that the sooner we all can get back to enjoying hockey.

Trust your fellow linesman, people, and you too will reap the benefits of Valhalla.

---

This whole situation brings up an interesting conversation about player/referee interactions, as well as the effectiveness of officials in the sports world today. I know I've been teasing this post for some time, but Rich and I have been putting some thoughts together on the subject, and I promise by Christmas that will see the light of day.

For now let's hold those thoughts and get ready for another game against Tampa Bay, and remember: There is no B-3 Bomber.

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

The Roost Recommends II

by Ryan

We did this a few months ago, and since a few other posts hit some snags this will have to do for now. Here are a few things worth checking out if you need to kill some time during the holidays.

The Roost Recommends...

"The Taqwacores", by Michael Muhammad Knight

This one may be a bit out there, but it's a really interesting book by a local author. A novel about a group of Islamic punks living near Buff State, with plenty of local references. It's a bit difficult to read due to the Arabic terms (think Clockwork Orange-ish) and a pretty vulgar, but a really interesting read by a very cool guy. Think of Knight as the Islamic Chuck Klosterman. I've read his other book, Blue Eyed Devil as well, which is a lot like Klosterman's Killing Yourself to Live, one of my favorites.

The Roost Recommends...

"If I", Demetri Martin

Sometimes you find some pretty interesting things on YouTube. This is a six part series from a special centered around a palindrome. It goes through a lot of personal things in his life and how he comes up with jokes. It's a really interesting way to construct a stand up routine, and Martin does a really great job with this one. People either love or hate him, so if you like him and haven't seen this, give it a shot. Here's part one:

The rest are easy to find on YouTube. Check them out, he's an interesting guy.

For anyone curious, the four of us are in the process of reading a few other books that will get full reviews here, including "Men with Balls", "The Free Darko MPBA", and a few others. It's going to be a busy December around here.

The Joy of Goose

Welcome to the NHL, kid.

Ambling Madly All Over the Town

by Ryan

Just a few links and thoughts that I've wanted to cover over the last few days. We will have something bigger later on.

- You may not have noticed, but Jerry Sullivan has been on fire recently. His last few columns have been excellent, and he nailed it on Sunday. I'm certainly not his biggest fan, but I feel like sending him a "Thank you" email or something for the past month.

- The KHL will hold its All Star Game outside. There are at least 400 jokes I could make about this, but I get yelled at for the mere mention of Ted Rodgers these days. Needless to say, expect plenty of heart out of Team Jagr.

- This has nothing to do with sports, but I think this is completely justified. Let me go on record now and say that if I don't get a pony for Christmas I will burn this mother down.

- The Big Lead had a good read about the media's love affair with Tim Tebow and Tyler Hansbrough. After hearing him called "the greatest athlete in the history of the game" on Saturday I truly hope Tebow becomes the greatest Tasty Freeze manager of all time.

- I'd like to take this time to thank the photographers for The Associated Press for providing me with an image of Dick Jauron looking mortified. Each week I search with eager anticipation for this image, and you haven't let me down yet. Here's this week's, which looks slightly artificial and neutral compared to others.

Perhaps Dick has chameleon-like qualities?

- If I had the time I would photoshop a penguin leaping over a shark. Jesus, that site's nothing more than a Twitter feed these days.

- I've been searching for the Goose hit on Lovejoy but it hasn't turned up yet. Someone has to have that, right? Let me know if you find it, it deserves it's own post.

- Did anyone else just see this and nod?

- It's exciting times around these parts because I almost have enough free time to read the Free Darko book. I may even sleep soon, which would be a refreshing change of pace.

- I know talking about fantasy football is a blogging sin, but please let me have this. I was going to make this it's own post but I wanted to keep the damage minimal. Remember when I talked about my new keeper league philosophy and Chris said we would finish last? Well, we made the playoffs (and money) with the 3 seed. Thomas Jones has been a monster and our Smith/Johnson/Marshall combo has been excellent. Did we mention Drew Brees?

Oh, and Chris missed the playoffs.

Vincent LecavalOW

by Ryan

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Really? You got that from... from... this guy?

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

hah.

:13 mark is where the damage is done, I think. Hilarious.

Monday, December 8, 2008

Inch by Inch

by Ryan

There are two sides to every story. That's what you learn pretty quickly watching sports, and the examples are numerous. For every call is a non-call, for every save is a missed goal, and on and on. The point is that if you were watching tonight, I'm sure whatever you saw for your team another fan saw from a completely different angle.

For example, did the Penguins "let" the Sabres win this game, or did the Sabres "come back" to win? Or what about the first two Penguins goals? Was that a case of Malkin making great plays or did he take advantage of bad defense? Was Sabourin soft or did the Sabres crash the net like good teams do? Was Vanek having an awful game or was he working hard, too?

Of course the answer to all of those is "both", but that's just too easy. One thing I know is this: you are going to go elsewhere and read that the Sabres didn't deserve this game, that they are a bad team that got lucky, and that they shouldn't even be in the same league as the Penguins. Here's what I'm telling you right now: don't believe a word of it.

The Sabres absolutely deserved to win tonight, and I don't care what anyone else saw. For the first time in weeks they put forth an effort that made me proud, and exactly the kind of road game that deserves two points. Without some major players this team played a tough, physical style and great defense down the stretch to avoid any comebacks.

This is what it's about right here. Thomas Vanek flying back to break up a scoring chance. After two penalties and difficulties on the offensive end, Vanek made up for it all by playing his heart out on every shift. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I'll take a hard working win over superstars any day of the week. That's what the Sabres put forth tonight, and that's why there's suddenly a lot to like about this hockey team.

The effort wasn't perfect, of course, but they overcame quite a bit to even get it back to 3-3. I'll save my thoughts on officials for later, but there were some issues with a lot of what I saw. Still, the penalty kill did an excellent job and Miller showed up when he had to. After all that was made of Miller and Ruff's difference of opinion, Ryan certainly has stepped up his game.

And then there's that fourth goal. I've heard a lot of people say Vanek is simply a garbage goal scorer, but I will defend him to the death on that front. How many goals have you seen Malkin or Crosby score from the doorstep throughout their careers? The uncanny ability of a player to be in the right place at the right time is a big part of that mythical "goal scorer's touch" people love to talk about. Vanek scores "garbage" goals because he knows where to go. It's a strength, and any superstar has the ability to do exactly what Vanek did tonight. It doesn't make him a superstar, but it gives Atlas another game winner, and right now that's all that matters to any of us.

Tonight was a strong win against a normally strong team. This wasn't a flashy comeback like we're used to seeing from this team, it was a hard fought, hard working, and well deserved three goals against a team they had to beat. Everything from Sekera making plays on the boards, Goose getting to that extra faceoff, and even Gerbe giving Sid an extra jab along the wall made the difference tonight.

This was a team effort, and tonight this team got the inches they needed.

The Sky is Falling

by Ryan

Sometimes I debate with myself to remove anonymous commenting. We really want everyone to have the opportunity to talk to us, but the occasional spam or "You a fag" makes me think we would be better off requiring at least some sense of accountability in what you say. And then every so often you get something like this:

Someone's let JP Losman turn him into Chicken Little.

I had to laugh because it was true. Somewhere within me I believe what I wrote earlier today is true, but I really don't like that part of me. That Ryan isn't all that fun of a guy to be honest, and I doubt he has many friends. He's probably socially awkward and only likes to talk about Battlestar Galactica and "attend" events like this.

Have the Bills really sucked that much life out of me? Probably not, but I can't help but have that angry/sad feeling and attach it to everything right now. I'm sure the Greeks had a great word for it that I could use and it would make sense to everyone else, but I don't study things like that enough to know it. Instead, I have to get out of this the only way I know how.

Right now we don't have a football coach that could make me feel better, so I went out and got my own. This is by far one of my favorite sports movie moments ever, and I wish I had that version of Al Pacino screaming at me whenever I got down.

The sky is not falling, and I guess I needed a few comments and an unknown voice to snap me out of it.

---

I literally haven not talked about hockey here since Saturday afternoon, and that's a shame. Here's a few thoughts on the Sabres before they go into the Igloo for the last time this year.

- Thank God we are playing a team with somewhat normal uniforms. Those "BOLTS" unis are terrible. It's like the worst All Star Uniform I've ever seen.

- The one good thing we got out of all this talk of selling is that we know what Thomas Vanek's IQ is now.

Tim Connolly's IQ? Negotiable.

- I give the Nathan Gerbe Experiment an initial review of "Meh." He played pretty well, certainly played bigger then his height, but at times he looked lost out there. He will get better, and I expect a good game out of him tonight.

- Hecht doing anything other than flubbing breakaway passes is exciting, so I was thrilled to see him throw down with "The Best Player in the NHL". The fact that he roughed him up only made me happier. Great to see a guy do something out of character like that, shows there still may be some desperation on this team.

- I'm pretty sure you all know my thoughts about the Penguins, so I'm hoping for another tough win. Grinding out wins against superior teams is something the Sabres are going to have to do to get back in this thing, and if they don't know how just yet they need to learn. This is as good a time as any.

- This isn't the last Sabres game at the Igloo, but we're getting close. I feel like I have to get there at least once before it closes for good, even if I'm stuck in the Batcave...

The inches we need are everywhere around us. Go Sabres.

Selling High

by Ryan

Nothing surprises me anymore.

We watch sports with the hope that something incredible will happen, something we've never seen before that justifies the hours and hours we put into watching. It's a system that very rarely yields fruit here in Buffalo, but that only makes many put that much more time and feeling into it. Now I'm still pretty young compared to others, but today I feel like I've seen pretty much all there is to see. Why? Because when I heard about this I didn't bat an eye.

I mean, why should I? After that monstrosity in Toronto I'm done having any faith in owners and loyalty and all that wishful thinking nonsense. It's clear that for fans sports are a hobby, and for owners and players sports are a business. There is no such thing as a "hometown discount" or charity cases in sports, the business is defined through dollar signs and stadium deals and signing bonuses.

Do I think Larry Quinn is lying? Of course I do, but that doesn't mean I think Tom Golisano is wrong. Selling the team at this point would be a smart business move. He said it himself, buying the Sabres was not a charity case. If he was going to purchase the team it would be with the intent to make money, and that's exactly what he did.

Golisano is a Rochester boy who did Western New York a favor and kept the Sabres in Buffalo. From that point on he didn't owe us jack squat. He isn't a hockey mind, he isn't a native son, he's a businessman. Businessman make money, and if you can't make money with this team or deem it too much effort, you cut your losses and move on. His involvement with the franchise is minimal to begin with; who was the one releasing statements for the team when the questions came?

When you think about it a change in ownership could be a good thing. What has Tom Golisano done to help the Sabres since he bought the team? Here's my running list:

- The Sabres stayed in Buffalo
- ?

That's about it from my point of view. He lowered ticket prices initially, which was a smart business move. They invested some money in the Arena, and gave the organization a level of stability. But other than that what has he personally contributed to the franchise? Has he put in the money to make a big playoff push? Sort of. Has he gone out and obtained a big name free agent? Has he made a splash in any way that shows a commitment to winning in the long term? Has he answered the questions posed by the local media, or even pretended to be involved with the day to day operations of this team?

In that regard, Tom Golisano's usefulness to this organization has come and gone. He was the savior, he swooped in and saved a lowly franchise from outsourcing and the evils of Paul Allen. But that window has come and gone. He will do nothing in his tenure but maintain a profit margin and continue to remain hockey illiterate. His visits will be infrequent, his influence minimal, and the team's performance will continue to be mediocre. Worst of all, this will be seen as okay because he doesn't care. He doesn't have to. He has a company to run, a political spectrum to influence, and a pet project in a hockey franchise that lets him watch Ronan Tynan one a year for free.

After what I saw yesterday, I have zero expectations of any sports franchise remaining in this city. Perhaps this is a good thing; Ralph can die so the Bills can move, and Tom can cut and run so the Sabres can go north as well. Both teams will flourish and perhaps we all can move away and do the same. I am so disillusioned by it all I can't even describe what I'm feeling. All I know is that it hurts a lot more than any missed field goal or skate in the crease can or ever will.

If I have learned anything over the past few years it is this: no matter how badly you wish it would, sports will not love you back. You can give them everything: money, idol worship, and every spare second of your time and effort; none of it will change anything. Ralph Wilson does not love you back. Chris Drury does not love you back. The logos and jerseys and hockey sticks will not love you back. All those hours of watching and playing will only leave you with stories and bumps and bruises. The amount you put in is never equal to what you receive, and lately all we've gotten back is another kick in the teeth.

Maybe having nothing left to love will be for the best.

Exactly

by Ryan

Even though he was playing far from Miami, in another country no less, Ronnie Brown felt right at home.

The Miami Dolphins running back admitted the prospect of facing arch-rival Buffalo in the first-ever NFL regular-season contest played in Canada was daunting, given he figured the Bills' close proximity to Rogers Centre would make them the overwhelming favourite among Toronto football fans.

That is, until he and the Dolphins went out for the pre-game warmup and were greeted by a healthy representation of aqua and orange in the stands. Brown said that boost helped Miami capture a historic 16-3 win over the Bills on Sunday to move into a tie atop the AFC East Division with New England and the New York Jets.

Heady stuff for a Dolphins squad that was the laughing stock of the NFL last year with a dismal 1-15 record.

"Obviously we came up here and Toronto was new scenery for us," said Brown, who ran for a game-high 70 yards on 16 carries. "But we went out and saw the people in aqua and orange and it made a pretty big difference.

"You don't feel like you're playing an away game and you're excited for the support."

TSN.ca

Sunday, December 7, 2008

Rational Response

by Ryan

I have nothing to say about this game. Everything about the last three hours of my life has made my physically sick. I hate Ralph and J.P. and everyone involved in this disaster of an experiment up north. I don't care what excuse Dick Jauron has for scoring six points in two weeks, I hope he gets his face eaten by a bear.

I hope Ted Rogers' family members all catch cholera and die.

Gameday Prep: Bills vs. Dolphins

by Ryan

He could... go... all... the...

Announcers and Game Maps: Kevin Harlan, Rich Gannon (Courtesy of Awful Announcing)

Depth Charts: Dolphins, Bills

Stats: NFL.com, ESPN, or Yahoo Sports all do a good job. If you have fantasy teams through Yahoo, you're better off paying the ten bucks for "stattracker", it's a lifesaver. (Especially when you have three fantasy leagues with Yahoo...)

Things They've Been Saying:
- Vic Carucci with a Dolphins story that you're going to hate.

- The AP's John Warrow sets the stage nicely.

- Warrow also has a summary of that other angle we all know and love.

- HOLY CRAP

Pump-Up Song that Will Melt Your Face Off: Alexisonfire, "This Could Be Anywhere in the World"

Angry one today, but a Canadian band talking about a ghosts and cities sounds perfect to me.

Fun Facts:

- Dick still has the same expression north of the border:

- Here's the Playoff Picture, in case you need an excuse to stab yourself in the face.

- Here it is, the rumor we've all been waiting for!

- This is going to be terrible. The game will probably be a clunker, and all that extra garbage will loom in my head until my brain stem shuts down and I pass out. I'm going to miss the roar of an Orchard Park crowd. I'm going to miss the snow. I'm going to miss the way our FieldTurf looks. And when it finally happens, I'm going to miss this team.

This is going to suck.

A Date Which Will Live in Infamy

by Ryan

You floppy-mouthed bastards

Saturday, December 6, 2008

Saturday Night Circus

by Ryan

I will have a real recap up by morning, but just take a look at this photo:

If that doesn't tell you how crazy and incomprehensible tonight was, I don't know what to show you. The fact that Hecht probably won it may help you along.

Nothing As It Seems

by Ryan

Let's go back to October, when the world was a better place. The Bills were 5-1, the Sabres were 6-0-1, and Buffalo sports fans were dreaming of sugarplums and playoff spots. Wait, can we stay? I like this time much, much better. Anyway, this is what I said way back then:

Okay here's the deal: the Sabres need to start losing soon so my expectations of them can be properly adjusted.

Well, they listened. It's safe to say that my expectations since then have fallen dramatically, and perhaps that is a good thing. Sports in general have sucked the life out of me over the past month, and I just don't expect much of anything out of anyone these days.

I mean, UB shocked the hell out of me last night. I said it in the thread, I was getting prepared for the game and realized I needed things to talk about when the game was a blowout. I started looking for rumors about Gill, maybe some draft expectations for Roosevelt and Willy. I never considered that the game could be in their favor in a blowout.

So maybe it's better if I expect nothing, right? If that's the right way to do it, I'm certainly there with this Sabres team. I completely expect an awful hockey game that Tampa squeaks out. Their team is a mess, their coaching situation is a disaster, and their owners are morons. I'm not going to say it's like looking in a mirror, but, well, no I'm not going to say it.

7:30 tonight from Tampa Bay. Since when did Sabres hockey require a shot of methadone?

Limited Options = Limited Results

by Ryan

The big news on a snowy Saturday in Buffalo is absolutely the UB Bulls knocking off a ranked team for the first time in history. I promise Chris will have plenty to say about that sometime this weekend, but the other big story today is the fruition of the Nathan Gerbe Experiment.

I have to admit I'm worried about Nathan Gerbe tonight, but not because he's wearing pink. (he kind of seems like a pink polo shirt kind of guy anyway...) I'm worried about Gerbe because the Sabres have a lot of holes in the roster right now, and making the team even smaller may not be the best of moves.

Trust me, this isn't about Gerbe as much as it is about who's missing. I trust Nathan will play well and I've seen him play well above his height in the past, but he is going to take a significant amount of abuse in his time with the Sabres and you need people to defend him when that happens. As of right now our toughest player is Adam Mair and, no offense to Mair or even Goose, but that's not good enough.

Peters and Kaleta both being hurt is a big deal. You can argue that their impact is minimal based on ice time, but we all know that what Peters and Kaleta bring to the team is much more emotional. Going out there without the guy who will drop and the guy who will run someone through the boards is a lot harder then it seems. Suddenly you realize that there's no one to back you up, and it's much harder to get that spark when you need it.

So yeah, I'm worried about Nathan Gerbe. The first shift he sees on NHL ice is going to be an amazing experience, but sometime tonight someone is going to give him a shot. Rookies get tested, and undersized rookies get targeted. If this team has any value in him they need to step up and make him feel a part of this team. First impressions are everything.

As far as his impact? Meh. Mancari wasn't the problem, and Gerbe won't be the solution.

Are You Feeling Bully Tonight?

I think I'm going to let Chris take this one. Enjoy it, and congrats boys.

Friday, December 5, 2008

MAC Championship Live Blog

Roy's Junk, Lindy's Funk, and Other Things That Don't Rhyme

by Ryan

- First of all, I have to admit I'm surprised by the lack of opposition to my post about Lindy. The last time I mentioned that maybe he hasn't been all that successful the response was... less than warm. I mean, I had to get new windows and everything. The good news is that all those bricks will make a lovely fireplace this winter. So yeah, there's that.

- Rich made his yearly trip to Sunrise for the game last night, so you might hear about the terrible crowd and midget Panther sometime soon.

- I really wanted to talk about the Derek Roy Incident, but I can't figure out how to approach it. I keep imagining myself on a stage with Bucky Gleason as he screams at me about blogs while Jason Pominville sits there mortified.

- Just a few programming notes: Next week Rich and I will have something for you about officials. We will also have a "Roost Recommends" post coming. We are pulling some ideas together for a Christmas List for Buffalo Sports fans, so look for those in a week or so. Also, we may have another "Insignificant" series before the year is up, so if you have any ideas let us know.

- I don't think Avery should get six games, retroactive or otherwise. Suspending him for just that game would have been enough. Better yet, let the team decide what to do with him. While it's nice to see the NHL get some face time with the MSM, a lot of this is getting blown out of proportion.

- By the way, what's so bad about the phrase "sloppy seconds?" I'm pretty sure Shag and Scoob have said it before on Cartoon Network and no one bats an eye.

- Tonight we will be helping out at WNYMedia and live blogging the MAC Championship game. The software lets a bunch of sites post the same thing, so you can join it from here as well as Bfloblog and a few others. The thread will be posted at 6pm, so make sure you join us for some Ball State/UB fun. We won't mention Jason Whitlock much, we promise.

- I think putting up 45 shots is awesome, I really do. One goal is still one goal. ~~John~~ Craig Anderson can be hotter than Morgan Freeman in The Gospel at Colonus, but you should score more than one goal on a "backup" goaltender. Miller may have missed his saves, but you don't win hockey games when you score once. What happened to three per game? Did Dick's Sporting Goods bring the hammer down or something?

- I love Canada sometimes. The Raptors fire Sam Mitchell and everyone worries about the lack of diversity among NBA coaches. TSN says screw that, he's Canadian! TSN, the place where a Matt Stairs update is always seconds away.

We will be back later with the live chat and maybe some thoughts on the Sabres. Maybe.

Miracle on Bremner Boulevard

by Ryan

SELLOUT! Woo! Just like they predicted! I'm sure it was sold out months in advance, right? Oh, just yesterday, the day of the deadline? Hrm... demand must have been through the roof.

I wonder just how many "free" tickets were given out to the Mounties and the United Way? Six...thousand? Nah, probably just six.

Thursday, December 4, 2008

So much for starting over...

Another game, another loss. Who would have figured?

Into the Fire

by Ryan

Let's say the Sabres lose tonight with the same effort they had on Monday. What do you do? The team is officially going nowhere, the attitude hasn't changed, and everything is stale. Well, what if they emulated Carolina and fired Lindy Ruff, replacing him with Ted Nolan?

---

That's crazy, right? I mean, Lindy has been here for so long it would be almost unthinkable for him to get fired for a bad showing in the first 25 games. Plus we all know what Darcy has said about the head coaching position under his tenure. There's a better chance the entire team catches ringworm from the puppies they cuddle with in their spare time than Lindy getting the axe anytime soon.

Let's face it, it's very rare Lindy sees any criticism at all out of Sabres fans. Somewhere down the line he got an exemption when it comes to the problems with this team. In so many other leagues the head coach is the first to take the blame, but around here it is the immaturity of the players and their own lack of focus instead of an inability to coach.

I'm not writing this in an attempt to get crucified, but I'm genuinely curious to see where people think the responsibility lies. The past two years we've talked so much about the system Lindy has in place and how some players just can't adapt to it. That's a completely valid response to the problem, but here's my question: why can't the system change to fit the players?

Our general manager has a notoriously slow trigger finger, and has made only a small handful of moves before the trade deadline throughout his tenure with the team. Despite the struggles of players and the desperate pleas from fans and pundits to trade them, it seems unlikely anything will happen for another few months. The only moves that have affected this team have been plane rides to and from Maine, and only so much change come of that.

I've slowly come to realize the players on this roster aren't going anywhere. Darcy has plans for Max/Timmy/Ales sometime down the road, but I would be shocked if they weren't on team in some regard going into 2009. When is it, then, that winning with the group of guys we currently have supercedes the importance of the system in place? If the players aren't capible of sucessful hockey with these rules, why not change it?

I see nothing wrong with "The System" becuase, as I've said before; by design it is flawless. Only the players can perform badly within a perfect construct, but when these players continue to fail when it is the responsibility of the head coach to come up with something more effective?

To be harsh, I've seen little to no ability to adapt in this coaching staff since the lockout. The plans they laid out worked very well coming out of the work stoppage, but sometime after the Ottawa Brawl things started to break down. This Sabres team has played the same style of mediocre hockey for over 110+ games now, so when do the adjustments kick in?

Again, I agree that the players must take a lot of the blame. Some guys we previously thought had star potential may only be bit players, and some contracts may be too heavy. That means Darcy messed up as well, and that's something you can't overlook. However, a head coach is supposed to do more than just put a system in place. I haven't seen Lindy "coaching up his boys" in quite some time now, and it makes me wonder what direction this team is really moving in.

I feel the need to stress here that I don't think Lindy Ruff is a bad coach. He's done a great job at times and his foresight during the lockout was outstanding. Still, I really feel like it's been quite some time since he's shown me something, and I feel a "Coach of the Year" like he is should offer more than he has. Looking at the way his teams have performed last season and thus far this year it's easy to say he's overrated, and maybe there's nothing wrong with that. No one's perfectly "rated", so why not guess on the high side?

Get pucks deep. Forecheck. Get to the net. We've heard it all over and over again. Now we have a new one. "Start fresh." The Sabres can say their record is 0-0-0 all they want, but the truth is that they sit 11-10-3 and third in the Northeast. Those are the facts, and that "new season" mentality is only another way the Sabres say all the right things. What I want to see is that they have the ability to do the right things, and do them often enough to consider them a good team again.

I don't think just Lindy Ruff has the power to make that happen. Hockey is a team game, and every aspect of this organization (Coaches, front office, and players) needs to do what it can to improve this hockey team. All I'm saying is that I haven't seen the jaw dropping performance you'd expect from Lindy Ruff given his reputation.

But maybe others feel different.

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Pointless Criticism of a Pointless Post

by Ryan

"Every writer I know has trouble writing." - Joseph Heller

Sometimes you just have nothing meaningful to say. It happens to everyone, and it takes a change of pace topic or not writing altogether to get you back on track. As a blogger it's easy, if something isn't there you can post a picture or a YouTube video and you're set. However, when you have a "blog" on an NHL team's website, you probably have a requirement of some sort. Either that or you're really that uninteresting.

I'm guessing that's what this is all about, but it doesn't make it any better.

SYLVESTER'S BLOG: REDUCE THE SCHEDULE

The only reason I read this was because of the title, so I guess that was the most effective part of this thing.

There are too many regular season games in the NHL.

Strong lede. Let's see where he goes with this thing.

The evidence was Monday night at HSBC Arena when the Sabres and Predators trudged through the first two periods. Neither team had any legs because they were each playing their third game in four nights and for the Sabres, their fourth in six nights.

The result of the compact week is uninspired hockey and a poor product. It’s not fair to the owners, coaches, players or fans.

The owners want to provide the best possible product to the fans and pay huge sums in salaries to see it, coaches want the best chance to win, players want to compete at their highest level, and I don’t need to tell fans what they deserve. Playing three games in four nights does not allow any of that to happen.

I... I guess. So what's the plan?

So, what’s the solution?

There are two that I can think of: fewer games or a longer season.

First of all, I find it really hard to swallow the fact that the Sabres played an awful home game against a team just as tired as they are. Playing that bad has no excuse. But since Kevin's on the Sabres' payroll I suppose this is clever, if and only if he makes a strong case for his solutions. Let's see what he does with it.

To reduce the number of games in the regular season would take a seismic shift all the way around. The NHL and the NHLPA would have to agree on a reduction of games and that would mean a reduction in revenue.

Translation - less money paid in salaries to the players, and less potential profit for the league.

Yeah, that sounds like just what this league needs: less money all around. We should make rinks bigger and take out a few hundred of the most expensive seats in the house, too. Better product + less money = more money?

The only solution I can see would be to raise ticket prices for fewer games (supply and demand), but we are now officially in a recession and any price increases may force fans to go to Congress to beg for a bailout

So... no to the less games solution? Okay, what about a longer season?

As for a longer season, there is no chance of that. One could argue it’s already too long with the Stanley Cup Finals ending in mid to late June.

One just did. Hey wait, weren't these your ideas that you just completely destroyed? What was the point of all this if the only things you can come up with won't work at all? What's the point of this entire thing?

The bottom line is the system is not perfect and every owner, coach, player, and fan in the league has to live with it. I can’t imagine how complex putting together the NHL schedule is with 30 teams all looking for dates, some competing with NBA teams, and all competing with ACDC for primetime in their own buildings.

What I can imagine is an inspired effort by the Sabres on Thursday in Florida to make us forget all about the reason for this blog.

This was unbelievable. 376 words of nothing. I understand that Sylvester works for the Sabres and has to spin this for the better, but blaming a disgusting performance on the schedule, then coming up with stupid, impossible solutions to the "problem" does not fix the fact that the Sabres bombed on Monday. It doesn't make me forget it, and it doesn't make me forget the fact that this was a complete waste of time.

I mean, did he have to post something? Like, was there some imaginary blogging deadline the Sabres imposed and this was all he had? He started pretty strong and just... lost it. There was nothing here at all. No opinion, no answer, no anything. If you are going to bother posting anything you have to form an opinion of some sort. A summary of the things that won't work is stupid and pointless, which is the only thing it had in common with Monday's game.

The most interesting thing he had to say was this:

And if you ever go to TD Banknorth Garden in Boston do not trust the lids for the coffee cups in the press lounge. Prior to each game there in November (the 8th and 19th) I grabbed a cup of coffee and put the provided lid on to prevent spills. False security! The first time on the 8th wasn’t bad, but the one on the 19th was a soaker. The sad part was I didn’t even know until my cameraman said, “what happen to your tie” before rehearsal. It looked like a map of Florida! Coffee and silk do not mix. Consider yourself warned.

Uh, thanks?

Sully on the Sabres

By Chris

News Columnist Jerry Sullivan has been on fire recently, and it's rare that I agree with him. But with recent columns on UB Football putting pressure on UB Basketball and yesterday's piece on why the Bills need to fire Dick Jauron, it's tough to find instances lately where he's really wrong.

And after all that's happened with the Sabres in the last two years, his column from last Thursday is pretty much dead on.

It's something I've been trying to make the time to analyze, so let's take a look at it now, Robistrator style.

This was clearly a very big day for the Buffalo Sabres. Eager fans lined up outside HSBC Arena before 10 a. m. Wednesday, waiting for the privilege of buying one of the new third jerseys at up to $295 a pop.

Bring out a new line of clothing and watch the people reach for their wallets. Sometimes I think it’s more about the jerseys than the team itself.

Hitting the nail on the head, it's evident with the influx of new jerseys (the home and away slug, the Winter Classic jersey and now the new third) and that ridiculous SabreStyle crap (or whatever it's called), they could put a picture of a third-world orphan on a T-Shirt, slap the word "Sabres" on it and it will probably sell out of the Sabres Store faster than you can say "Nathan Gerbe."

Who cares if Max Afinogenov is spinning around the ice with no apparent purpose, so long as the turnstiles and cash registers are whirring and the kids are content?

Max has been frustrating to say the least. But the kids love Max. Gotta play to your audience, right?

The way people respond to the Sabres, you’d think they had actually won something.

This is true. Almost 40 years in existence and no championship to show for it.

In that way, they’re a lot like the Bills. You have to admit, our two professional teams do a marvelous job of selling average teams to the public.

Although both have also struggled as recently as four years ago. A blacked out Bills game was a common theme a few seasons ago and I remember being in a half-empty HSBC Arena watching the Ducks come to town on a Wednesday night.

The teams have had some entertaining seasons lately and, at least in the case of the Bills, every offseason gives fans a reason to get excited again. Bringing in guys like Marcus Stroud, Kawicka Mitchell and James Hardy got fans pumped for the 2008 season and, looking back at August, it's tough to blame anyone for it. While the "splash" signing and draft picks may turn out to be somewhere between mediocre and bust, having Monday night games helps fill the stadium as well.

In the Sabres case, after the 2005-06 season, it became so hard to get tickets that many fans, myself included, hang onto my mini-pack just to guarantee that I'll be able to go to a few games (as well as the playoffs, knock on wood).

People act as if the Sabres are a sleeping giant, waiting to rediscover the magic of two years ago. How long must we wait? Going back to the start of last season, the Sabres are 49-54, including overtime and shootout losses.

Staggering numbers and the million dollar question: How long must we wait? Sully thinks we've waited long enough. Maybe we have.

So why all the fuss? Locking up players to long-term deals doesn’t make them stars. A big contract doesn’t make Jason Pominville an all-star. It doesn’t make Ryan Miller an elite goalie.

After more than 100 games, it stops being a slump. It’s a trend. They beat Boston on Wednesday, 3-2, but until proven otherwise, they’re average, without a consistent winning edge.

Pominville has never been an all-star. Miller might be an elite goalie. But we've locked these guys up for the long haul in fear of losing them to bigger markets. I would say that, individually, Pominville and Miller and much better than average. To say that the current team, however, the one we've watched since last October, with all of its flaws, is average is perhaps actually an understatement.

The core of this team rode Danny Briere/ Chris Drury to two Eastern finals. The Sabres lost their winning edge when those two left. They’ll stop hearing about it when they build their own legacy.

Who are those guys again?

Listening to the players at the morning skate, it sounded like last year all over again. Pominville said they needed to play with desperation and stay within the system. Toni Lydman talked about keeping it simple, going to the net and getting ugly goals. Same old stuff. They should just play a recorded message.

“It is a lot about the same,” coach Lindy Ruff said. “We should have won some games that we didn’t. But we’ve got to turn the corner quicker.”

A lot of this reminds me of Ryan's post a few weeks ago about "The System:"

With all that said, let's not talk about "The System" anymore. It obviously has no flaws, and if the players can't live up to "The System", we just need to find new players. Preferably robots who can focus on the multitude of rules and advice it offers for a full sixty minutes. Instead of talking about "The System" let's talk about another fun buzz word we throw around often: defensive responsibility.

Back to Sully...

On Thanksgiving Eve, the Sabres played with passion and verve befitting the occasion. But it’s no shock to see them play an inspired game. They’re a frontrunning group with maddening streaks of good and bad play. They want it to be easy. Never has a team gotten so full of itself with so little justification.

That right there is the essence of the Buffalo Sabres post-lockout. They play like they're on their high horse all the time when in fact they've had one great playoff run and one great regular season in the last three-and-a-half years. They do want it to be easy. Being able to rally from three goal deficits four years ago will give you that confidence. They know that they're talented enough to win games without putting in a full effort. However, it hasn't happened lately.

As Herb Brooks once said, "Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard."

Management falls in love with its own flawed players. You’d think they were an elite team with a solid, veteran roster no kid can crack. Around the NHL, teams are playing kids and getting away with it. Phil Kessel and Milan Lucic in Boston, Sidney Crosby and Jordan Staal in Pittsburgh, Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews in Chicago — all 21 or younger and thriving in the league.

Falling in love with players is a strong phrase here. Management knows that the game is a business and bad assets are going to be costly to your success.

Of all the players Sullivan named there, all were top 5 draft picks with the exception of Lucic. Since 1996, the Sabres have picked in the top 10 only twice.

They struck out in 1996 when the took Erik Rasmussen seventh overall but they seem to have hit a home run by taking Thomas Vanek fifth in 2003 (although it's tough to go wrong with almost any first round pick that year). Teams like Chicago and Pittsburgh now have those super-star young guns because they suffered through some awful seasons in order to select that high in the draft year after year.

It actually is a positive that the Sabres haven't had to rely on top picks to step in right away. Who wants to be the LA Kings?

Meanwhile, the Sabres keep their top kids down in Portland. Tim Kennedy is 22, Nathan Gerbe and Mike Weber 21, but we’re supposed to believe they need more experience riding the AHL buses. The Sabres have no one among the top 30 NHL rookies in scoring. Of course, until they brought up Mark Mancari, they didn’t have any rookies.

The Sabres have had success in keeping the young kids down. Paille and MacArthur could still be serious projects if they had been rushed up. Mancari took four years to develop into what looks like a decent checking winger with a little scoring touch (who hopefully can continue to improve).

While I'd love to see Kennedy and Gerbe up here to spark out lifeless team, it probably is best for them to stay where they are right now. Unless Regier makes some serious moves, there just isn't room for these players in the lineup. What good is bringing Gerbe up if he's limited to six minutes a game on the fourth line, where his small frame won't do much good in the hitting department?

If the Sabres are going to make the decision to go with the new recruits, then they need to feature these players on scoring lines. But that's not their style so until things change up top, we're going to see more of the same on the ice.

The Sabres won’t admit it, but they’re in transition. The hope is in Portland, and the sooner they bring up the kids, the better. What do they have to lose, except more games? Let the kids learn in the NHL, like all those other promising young players around the league.

The development is the big issue again. Forcing raw talents like Gerbe and Kennedy to go against seasoned players they're not yet ready to match up against could stunt their growth.

The Sabres are banking on them developing quickly though. With Connolly, Afinogenov, Kotalik, Spacek and Numminen all due for unrestricted free agency at the end of the season, it's a safe bet you're going to see Kennedy, Gerbe, Mancari, Weber and Butler fill those spots. Don't expect any free agent splashes as the Sabres already have nearly $30 million tied up in salaries for next season. The young kids are going to have their time, it's probably going to be later rather than sooner (barring any inevitable injuries).

It’s a joke that Afinogenov is on this team. He’s been here since 1999, and he’s still making the same mistakes.

Afinogenov should have been gone long ago. He and Tim Connolly are symptomatic of the Sabres’ tendency to hang on to soft, finesse players who hold a franchise back. They need to move on and prepare for life with the young players. They’re the future.

What other soft, finesse players have the Sabres hung onto that have held the franchise back? Sure there was Satan but he was 35 goal scorer who helped lead the team to a Stanley Cup Finals appearance. Pat LaFontaine, maybe? Because his number isn't in the rafters for decoration. Does he mean Milan Bartovic?

If anything, it's not Max and Connolly being on the team that's the problem. Neither are on the ice now anyways. Instead it's the stupid salaries they were signed to. The Connolly contract is one that still boggles my mind, considering he was probably in a coma when he signed it.

Just imagine the jersey sales.

Like the Sabres need to sell any more jerseys. Quinn and company are racking in a boatload. But bringing up the Gerbes and the Kennedys may not only bring in marketing revenue but maybe something close to a championship as well. I don't see it happening for a while, but just imagine...

Phaneufed Update

by Ryan

Here's the video of Sean Avery's comments, with some help from 289 in the Bfloblog comments. (By the way, the post itself is the best way I saw the Rodgers death handled.)

I agree with 289, now that I see the intent he had I completely agree with the suspension, at least for the game that night. Having him out there would have got ugly fast. It's good to see the Stars overcame all the Avery garbage and played well. We will see how long the suspension lasts, but based on how the Stars ownership acted I don't think they will mind if it's lengthy.

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Threepeat

by Ryan

One season.

Dick Jauron has made a career out of one football season in which his team went 13-3 and lost its first playoff game at home.

That's actually pretty impressive. Getting a few million dollars and employment with two football teams for a few months of incredible luck is about as good as it gets in life. Sure he has to work hard as a head coach, but if you take away that one 13-3 season our current head coach is 20 games under .500 for his career. Even with the 2001 Bears he is 56-73 with zero playoff wins.

When you think about it, he's the perfect football coach for this team. A team with lots of potential and flashes of brilliance while remaining perpetually mediocre needs a soft spoken, unassuming, below-average head coach to keep the rudder bouncing back and forth.

I'm not one to bang the "Fire Dick" drum all that often, but that's mostly because it sounds pretty gross. I really try to give head coaches the benefit of the doubt after the rapid fire succession we've seen here since Marv's departure. Still, the turn of events we've seen take place this year have slowly brought me to the point where I can say this team would be better off without Dick Jauron.

The case against him is pretty easy to make, but the same can be said for any head coach if you try hard enough. Whenever you are frustrated with your current head coach you look for the qualities that guy lacks and want them for yourself. With Dick Jauron you are looking for someone who has the ability to raise their voice an octave, doesn't talk at you like you're a remedial second grader, and looks and moves like a living creature. Wow, not looking for a whole lot there, are we?

I'm not looking for bizarro Dick Jauron here, in fact I think he does some good things with his team. His level-headedness is good at times, but when things go terribly wrong it would be nice to see he's capable of blinking. Changing nothing is not staying steady if the ship is only going down. That's an inability to adapt and change, and that's the sign of a bad head coach.

The problem is that Dick Jauron isn't a bad coach, he's just really, really average. He isn't going to suck our loud because he has some coaching ability. However, it looks more and more like that 13-3 season is an exception to the rule. He peaked as a pro football coach in 2001, and if that's the case what is he doing running a pro football team in 2008?

More than anything it is his press conferences that get to me. I know dealing with the press should not be the main concern of any head coach, but it is part of the job. Dealing with the media keeps you accountable with the fans and is the only way to get a real feel for the team from a primary source.

If that's the case, why is it that I've learned absolutely nothing from Dick Jauron since he took the head coaching position? His pressers read like the Madden tutorial we all skip because we understand the basics of football. Really, Dick, we do. You don't have to explain that running Marshawn Lynch 33 times per game would get him hurt over time. You also don't have to explain that when you are in the red zone the defense has less ground to cover. That's kind of a good thing because it means you have less ground to gain in order to score points.

Also, Trent Edwards has completely regressed as a football player. I know this because I have eyes. Sorry to break it to you. I also know that Marshawn Lynch had 16 carries on Sunday and was given the ball once in the red zone. That one carry was also after his longest run of the season, so if you are worried about "destroying" him you should have given him a break there. That would mean Marshawn could have carried the ball another, say, ten times, and maybe a few of those could have been in the red zone. It seems kind of difficult to score down there, so maybe you should give your best player a chance to punch it in instead of rolling out your fledgling quarterback with a sore groin.

The Bills lost to a 3-8 West Coast team at home on a day where they failed to score a touchdown despite a +300 yard performance on offense. There were plenty of questions asked by the media, and rightfully so. These are the answers Dick Jauron gives us, and if that really is the best he can do then perhaps he doesn't know the real answers either.

I'm not asking for honesty, we all know that's never going to happen. All I want is someone to lead this team that seems to understand the questions asked by the media. I know he's doing it on purpose, I get it; but what he needs to understand that it's getting old. I'm sick of expecting nothing from this head coach, and I'm starting to get sick of expecting nothing from this team.

Someone needs to take the blame for this clusterf*ck of a season. Maybe it should be on the players, but maybe it's time to look for someone with a bit more upside leading this team as well. The last two seasons under Dick Jauron have ended with a 7-9 record. Right now the Bills are at 6-6 with the playoffs out of the question once again. 7-9, 7-9, and it's looking like another 7-9.

One more strike sure looks like an out to me.

Phaneufed?

by Ryan

You had to laugh a little when you heard it.

"I'm really happy to be back in Calgary. I love Canada," Avery said in front of cameras. "I just want to comment on how it's become like a common thing in the NHL for guys to fall in love with my sloppy seconds. I don't know what that's about, but enjoy the game tonight."

I'd love to know the context this came from, but either way I think suspending him was a bit surprising. It's not often the NHL acts that quickly on much of anything. Then again, Mike Peca was suspended ten games earlier this year for something I still haven't seen, so who knows?

Overall it's probably a good idea to take care of this before things escalate, but what do you think? Is this something the league needs more of, or is anything Sean Avery does a waste of oxygen? Do you even care?

We Got Dick for Less...

by Ryan

Time is short today, but I really think you need to see this. I'll be honest, I never listen to what Dick Jauron has to say because he is one of the most boring people on the planet, but this was especially incriminating.

Dick Jauron makes John Madden sound like Rousseau. More on this later, but consider this as a prerequisite for further discussion later tonight.

A View from the Roost: Tolerance

by Ryan

I've been sitting here staring at a blank screen for the last 55 minutes or so. Nothing got done, but I just wanted to write this post like the Sabres played hockey tonight. I mean, they assumed it was going to work, so why shouldn't I?

I try not to keep track of the worst games I've ever been to, but I know for a fact that this one will go down as one of the all time worst. You could see in the warmups that the team just didn't have it. The drills were lackadaisical, Miller and Lalime looked uninterested, and just being out there seemed like... work. I sort of hoped things would ramp up once the puck dropped, but it was just a whole bunch of nothing all night.

After a while I couldn't help but laugh about how pathetic the performance was by both teams. No one had any flow to their game, and even with all that disjointed hockey neither team put up a decent forecheck. No penalties, no excitement, nothing. It was two teams going through the motions on a sleepy Monday night, and it certainly wasn't worth the price of admission.

The crowd was dead and for good reason. There really was nothing to cheer about or even get loud for, and even the big save Miller made happened when the game was long gone. I know a 1-0 score isn't supposed to mean game over in the "New NHL" but this team was as good as dead when Arnott flipped that puck in.

Chris probably had the line of the night and he wasn't even there. After the first goal he texted: "As soon as Razor said it was going to come down to who wants it more I knew we were going to lose." It was too true to be funny, but worth mentioning nonetheless. Tonight was just sad, that's all there is to say about it. In the bathroom after the game a drunk guy started rambling.

"I can't even get mad about it," he said. "What's the point, you know?"

I was completely sober tonight, but I couldn't have said it better myself. For some reason I can't get mad about this team underachieving like always. I've resigned myself to mediocrity so quickly it's almost scary. Roy and Pominville have regressed. Stafford and MacArthur are slipping. Only Vanek is truly playing well, and only the grinders like Goose, Mair, and maybe Mancari seem to give a crap.

The worst sign I've seen this year was that Goose and Mair were out looking for that first goal with three minutes left in the game. Is that really all we have? Tonight the Sabres made a rookie goaltender that sounds more like a pasta dish look fantastic. Against a mediocre team Buffalo looked even more pathetic, and there's no way of getting around how depressing that is.

I have no answers for this team, and the more I see of them the more I start to wonder if anyone else has an answer for them, either. My friend Mike asked me if I thought coaching was the problem with this team. I said "I don't know, maybe" and the woman in front of us looked at me like I just murdered an adorable puppy with my bare hands. I'm not saying it is coaching, and I'm not saying we should overreact and "shake things up." I'm not suggesting anything, really. All I know is I'm tired of the words "frustrated" and "we need to be better."

Walking out of the Arena tonight we were met with a stiff wind. With each gust brought a flurry of wintry mix stinging thousands of faces. Just the start of another Buffalo winter, but with that weather came a realization. Perhaps this team just doesn't have it, and perhaps we're getting too good at tolerating that fact. The term "tolerance" is derived from the amount of poison the human body can take before it dies.

Yeah, that sounds about right.

Monday, December 1, 2008

Atlas Analyzed

by Ryan

I really wanted to talk about statistics today because there were some great posts by other bloggers over the weekend. First of all, Die by the Blade had a good summary of Buffalo's struggles against weak teams. This is the kind of analysis I wish we did more often here, and over the next month we are going to try doing more of it. This team is getting more and more frustrating, and maybe the answers lie somewhere inside the numbers.

Another really cool post came from D.O.'s SB Nation cohort James Mirtle. He took a look at how blocked shots correlate with points percentage in an effort to determine if "good teams block shots" after all. Really good work by James, who has picked it up a bit since moving to From the Rink. I'm curious to see how that chart changes as the season matures, but it really is worth looking at to see for yourself how some stats relate to wins.

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I could have talked in depth about all that, but since Saturday I've been thinking a lot about Thomas Vanek.

I didn't post about the game on Saturday night because I was really depressed over it. After two really good games the team fell short again, and it seems to me more and more that this team is simply mediocre. Vanek was amazing again, scoring two more and he continues to pace the field, but it wasn't enough. This whole Atlas thing has really made me think about Vanek and pretty much everything about him; from his contract to his game as a whole and even his personal life. Sometime today it hit me:

I'm really happy for Thomas Vanek.

There are a lot of times as a sports fan you are happy for the success of a player on your team. They do well for you and you are happy, that's how it works. However, with Vanek I think there is something else there that I take pride in, and it's that he's finally coming into his own.

Let's face it, he had a rough season last year. But as my friend Dave commented sometime back then, who can blame the kid? In the span of a few short months he had a baby, got married, and had a $52 million contract thrown at him. To see him struggle was difficult, but he had all the pressure in the world on his shoulders and performed pretty admirably in hindsight.

This year everything has been different, and certainly for the better. Vanek is playing lights out hockey, earning the nickname I threw on him early and looking like one of the best forwards in the game. It's something we hoped to see out of him from the moment he was drafted, and it looks like we are finally getting our wish.

I don't want to get weepy here but, well, it's just nice to see good things happen for the kid. It's obvious he worked so hard last year and struggled so much, but now everything i