The Ultimate Sports Road Trip

We've joined the WNY Media family!

2007-06-23T18:50:00.000-05:00

This will be our final post at this location. Effective immediately, The Ultimate Sports Road Trip is now part of the Western New York Media Network. We are looking forward to our participation with their evolving and growing sports information function.

We ask our readers to hit the link listed below and update your bookmark.

See you over at WNYM!

http://thesportsroadtrip.wnymedia.net

Kane goes first.....Oden to do the same????

2007-06-22T19:36:00.000-05:00

Yep, as expected Buffalo's own Patrick Kane is selected with the first pick overall in the NHL draft tonight. Since Chicago picked him up we assume that the smile for the cameras was almost as real as Eli Manning's was after being selected by the Chargers.

Great for him, and congrats on being (to the best of my recollection) the first Buffalo born athlete to be taken first in an amateur draft in one of the four major sports leagues.

The amazing thing about that last statement is that the second one could be coming up next Thursday night. Ohio State's Greg Oden (born in Buffalo) is the odds on favorite to be selected first in this season's NBA draft. What are the odds on that? Have to wonder if the possibility of two top draft picks from the same city/geographical area in the same season has ever occured before.

There's gotta be a photo op for these two sometime soon......

Good grief! Another billion dollar stadium

2007-06-22T13:58:00.000-05:00

The price tag of a new Minnesota Vikings stadium is expected to flirt with $1 billion by 2009. The projected cost of a stadium with a retractable roof on the site of the Metrodome is $954 million, based on 2008 costs for materials. But this week the Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission, owners of the Metrodome and the Vikings' public partner in pursuit of a new stadium, said that stadium costs would rise by about $41 million if the Legislature approves a new stadium in 2009, rather than next year. That would bring the total cost to $995 million.

Meanwhile, the Vikings are movng ahead to acquire four blocks of land immediately to the west of the current Metrodome site, at a cost of $45 million. The plan is still to build a new stadium on the footprint of the current Metrodome and then redevelop the surrounding neighborhood as part of a comprehensive plan.

sigh... So many Christians, so few lions...

2007-06-21T13:35:00.000-05:00

Faith Night at Dunn Tire Park this Saturday.

This act got booted from Turner Field in Atlanta last summer, and yes this was the event where pitcher John Smoltz delivered his famed "sermon on the mound". Fans attending that game were greeted by religious pilgrims from Focus on the Family passing out materials outside the stadium about its programs. Some of the brochures highlighted at the game, according to the Focus on the Family’s website, included its Focus on Parenting program, which features a “Hot Topic” about children and homosexuality and how gay activist groups are “targeting” public schools. Other materials passed out included a packet on its endorsements of reparative therapy, or the “ex-gay” movement.

And there was more... our Lord and savior Jesus Christ, or someone who was a dead ringer, was also in attendance outside the ballpark grounds that day, wearing his white robe, thorny crown and dragging his heavy cross, while his entourage passed out slingers urging support of a ballot referendum defining marriage in Georgia as between a man and a woman. So those pesky homos in Georgia want to get married??? Oh, the horror of it all!

The Braves and their owners, Time Warner, received so many complaints from fans that they pulled the plug on future Faith Nights. Yet the Buffalo Bisons apparently see fit to open up our ballpark for these traveling clowns.

I think I'll pass on Faith Night. Call me instead when the Bisons bring in these two as headliners:

Huntington Park renderings unveiled

2007-06-20T16:36:00.000-05:00

Things are taking shape nicely for the new home of the IL Columbus Clippers, set to open in Columbus' Arena District in 2009.

More from the Columbus Dispatch

HERE is a .pdf file online showing a map of the Arena District and the positioning of the new ballpark. Besides Nationwide Arena, this neighborhood is already blossoming with retail outlets, restaurants, nightclubs, offices and residential units... everything our Cobblestone District and Canalside hopes to become.

Columbus' Brandon Watson - one amazing streak.

2007-06-19T19:00:00.000-05:00

It came to an end last night...in Rochester. Brandon Watson of the Columbus Clippers had hit safely in 43 straight games, breaking an International League record that had stood since 1912.

From the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle... But on Monday he struck out looking in the first, flied to center in the third, struck out swinging in the fourth, grounded to third in the sixth and struck out swinging in the eighth. As he walked to the dugout after his last at-bat, many fans gave the left-handed hitter a standing ovation.

Ironically, the former record of 42 games was set by Jack Lelivelt who played for the Rochester Hustlers, which was the nickname of their minor league team back then.

Bisons Manager Torey Lovullo offered these thoughts on Watson's accomplishment. "When you've played the game as I have and hit for 20 games you feel pretty good about your approach and here you have a guy who doubled it. He should feel very proud of what he managed to accomplish."

Lovullo drew a few laughs when he talked about watching highlights of the record breaker the night before on ESPN's Sportscenter. The game took place up in Ottawa's Lynx Stadium. "I said to myself... That's Ottawa? They got cameras there?"

The absolute best hitting streak in AAA goes back to 1933... Joe DiMaggio put together a 61 game hitting streak for the PCL San Francisco Seals. At the corner of 16th and Bryant in San Francisco is a tavern named "Double Play", kitty corner from what was the site of Seals Stadium. Yes Joltin Joe's feat is showcased there among all the awesome Seals baseball memorabilia. And yes, the USRT made the pilgrimage to soak it all in. Why are you not surprised???

Eat For The Cycle

2007-06-17T10:19:00.001-05:00

Our friends at Frontier Field in Rochester always seem to be at the cutting edge of cool promotional ideas.

This season, fans are encouraged to "Eat For The Cycle", and try each of the specialty hot dogs which will be rolled out during separate homestands throughout July and August. Fans can have a card punched on each purchase, and if you try all four you get a free t-shirt memorializing your accomplishment.

Here is the mouth watering lineup...

Ay Chihauhau (at the La Fiesta stand, first base side of the concourse)
Quarter-pound hot dog on a sausage roll topped with lettuce, onions, taco beef, tomatoes, nacho cheese and jalapeños. Served with a side of tortilla chips topped with nacho cheese.

Tony Soprano ( at Mama Mittsy's, near the front gates)
Quarter-pound hot dog on a sausage roll topped with pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese and pepperoni. This "capo" (boss) of dogs will be run thru the pizza oven for toasting and melting. Served with a side of two breadsticks and marinara.

French Poodle (at Batter Up, third base side of the concourse)
Quarter-pound hot dog on a sausage roll topped with fresh cut French fries and coleslaw. Served with a side of fresh cut fries.

Bar-B-Dog (at Big Red BBQ, third base side of the concourse)
Quarter pound hot dog on a sausage roll topped with pulled pork BBQ, nacho cheese and onions. Served with a side of tortilla chips topped with nacho cheese.

Back in 1999 Pete and I both "ate for the cycle" at Milwaukee's old County Stadium... we did separate concession runs and had a bratwurst, kielbasa, italian sausage and a cheesy grillwurst all during the same game!

We're heading to Rochester to cover the Bisons/Red Wings the weekend of June 30, and this will be worth checking out!

You think this Inner Harbor obstructionist nonsense only happens in Buffalo?

2007-06-15T17:36:00.000-05:00

Memo to Tim Tielman, or the residents of Granger Place, or Judge Elfvin and the rest of the geriatrics living on Gates Circle.... you are not alone! You have comrades in arms, soulmates, and rebels for a common cause, and they are alive and well in Pittsburgh!

As part of the complex deal to keep the Penguins in Pittsburgh, the team was given development rights for the land where Mellon Arena stands now, as well as adjacent open space on the north side of the old venue. While site plans and renderings are yet to be unveiled, the team has indicated that they are contemplating an exciting mixed use commercial, residential and entertainment district to compliment the new arena across the street.

Like Buffalo's Cobblestone District and Canalside, sounds like a win-win for everybody right?

Not so fast, say the residents of the adjacent Hill District, who have formed a group called the "One Hill CBA Coalition". According to this article in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette, the group wants an ironclad community benefits agreement to cover things like minority hiring and other vague issues. Read between the lines, and what they really want is their hockey team relocated to Kansas City, and a rusting, boarded up hulk of an arena sitting vacant close to their back yards.

Hamilton Predators season tickets on sale now

2007-06-14T19:21:00.000-05:00

Nope... no kidding... check it out right here at ticketmaster.ca. $1000 deposit will reserve you a lower bowl seat and $500 in the upper bowl.

Info from the ticketmaster site:
If and when the NHL allows a team to relocate to Hamilton, a sales representative will contact you with season ticket seating location information. Seating locations will be allocated based on when the deposits were made, with earlier deposits being offered the better seating locations. At that time the depositor can choose to purchase the offered tickets or request a refund of their deposit. Deposits will be automatically refunded in the event that it is determined that the team will not be moving to Hamilton, but in any event no later than December 2009. If deposits exceed expected available seating, depositors will be placed on a priority waiting list based on when their deposits were made. Deposits will also be available at any time by requesting a refund from Ticketmaster's Customer Service Department. Interest will not be paid on refunded deposits.

But as this article in today's Toronto Star indicates, Copps Coliseum is nowhere near the standards of a suitable NHL facility. We couldn't agree more, having paid multiple visits to that arena we can state they aren't even among the elite AHL venues. Last September we took in the Sabres/Penguins exhibition game, our first time ever there in a media capacity, and were horrified at the cramped pressbox, postgame press room and corridor were one and the same, and the dressing rooms for the players were appalling. By contrast, an NHL team in Winnipeg's MTS Centre would be awesome!

Regier and Ruff are back - Reporting from the Sabres press conference

2007-06-14T11:06:00.000-05:00

I got down to HSBC Arena this morning to take part in the news conference where Lindy Ruff and Darcy Regier were formally designated as the returning Head Coach and General Manager of the Buffalo Sabres. For Ruff it is a three year contract with an option for a fourth, whle Regier gets a two year deal. 'We got these guys for substantially below what they would earn in the open market" said Managing Partner Larry Quinn, while not revealing the specific dollar amounts of the deals.

Both men admitted that leaving Buffalo was never really an option or a consideration. Quinn stated that discussions on a new deal had taken place before the season ended, and everyone needed time to decompress after the disappointing finish to the year. Said Ruff, "Buffalo has become one of the best hockey cities. It's a great place to play; It's a great place to coach."

Of course, the questions turned towards the signing of the teams' marquee players, Chris Drury and Daniel Briere, as well as speculation over the status of restricted free agent Thomas Vanek. Quinn stated that the team budget next year will be higher than this year's. Regier also indicated that inquiries have been made to both co-captains through their agents, but admitted that if these discussions go beyond July 1, they will most likely be gone. As for Vanek, Regier offered some reassuring words. "I'm not a believer in operating out of fear. We'll be fine with Thomas at the end of the day."

A number of media members pressed the trio on the team's negotiating policy, and Quinn was quick to defend their approach. 'We've evolved with our contract policy. We used to work under one year contracts. When you do this negotiating during the course of a season, you subtract elsewhere on the team and everybody on the team knows it." Talking to some of the reporters afterwards, most of us saw this line as a bunch of hoo-ey and weren't buying it.

Quinn also stressed this point and asked us to report it. "We are offering mini packs!" Quinn stated that the team's season ticket base of just under 15,000 remains intact, the Sabres will offer mini packs and variable pricing on games, and recommended that fans wishing to attend games consider mini packs, warning that "we speculate that there will be few single seats available once tickets go on sale." Quinn also said there would be a slight price increase for single ticket costs. The Sabres had previously announced an 8% increase on average for season tickets.

One parting comment --- guess which moron forgot to turn his cell phone on to vibrate? Sure enough, my pocket goes off, and rings and rings... prompting Darcy to comment on the noise and jokingly suggest a $50 fine for the infraction. I slunk in my chair, tried not to call attention to myself, but those sitting around me, including Jim Fink from Business First and Janet Schultz from WNY Hockey...had me pegged. I was busted!

Cleveland's League Park will rise again!

2007-06-12T19:54:00.000-05:00

Before there was Jacobs Field... Before there was Cleveland Stadium... there was League Park. This was the home of the Cleveland Indians for an entire generation, a neighborhood ballpark on the city's east side. The place where the Tribe won the 1920 World Series. The place where Babe Ruth hit his 500th home run.

Today nothing is left but a rundown building which used to house the ticket office, a vacant field and a marker. (Yes we did check it all out on one of our USRTs to Cleveland after all that is what we do.)

But exciting news out of Cleveland! Funds are being raised to replace the field in its original location, build a replica outfield wall, restore the remaining facade and add 2500 seats, which would then be used for youth baseball, high schools and community events.

More from the Akron Beacon Journal.

Blogging from the pressbox - a reporter gets tossed

2007-06-11T23:45:00.000-05:00

Here's an interesting piece in today's Louisville Courier-Journal.

It seems that one of their sports reporters, a gentleman named Brian Bennett, was tossed out of the pressbox in the middle of a college baseball game. Bennett's trangression? He was doing live blog reports of the game, and the NCAA states that is a "clear violation of its policies."

The paper is not going down quietly, arguing that such a rule ignores first amendment rights. The NCAA, on the other hand, wants to protect the media outlet who pays the fees for live broadcasts of the game.

WHo is right? Who is wrong? One thing is for certain - this medium is changing the way we report sports, discuss sports and analyze sports, and the changes are happening at a dizzying pace.

What happens in the Louisville case will certainly bear watching for all of us who cover sports and do blogging.

Golfing at Diamond Hawk - Cheektowaga's new jewel

2007-06-10T18:13:00.000-05:00

We've been wanting to try out the newest golf course to hit the Buffalo area since they opened the back nine last fall. So with my dad and my brother in town, Andrew arranging for the VIP invitation, we were off for a day of golfing at Diamond Hawk.

Now fully open for business, this golf course is still a well kept secret, nestled next to an office/industrial park in the northeast end of town. To get there you have to pass the airport via Genesee Street, turn right on Sonwil Drive and you will see it on your left.

Any preconceptions you have about "Cheektovegas" and its alleged pink flamingoes and bowling alleys goes right out the window as soon you get here - the facilities are first class and opulent, the clubhouse and dining room almost swank; everything done with a flair.

Since my dad is an avid golfer and my brother John is right behind him, we asked them for a critique of the course after our rounds, as we enjoyed a post golf meal in the Diamond Hawk clubhouse restaurant. My dad replied, "This is nothing like your typical municipal golf course or some par 3 facility. This is a really difficult and challenging course to play."

Continuing on, "With the tight fairways, plenty of bunkers and such, your shot off the tee has to be a good one or else you're in real trouble right away. Then there are the greens - they are massive and spacious and that makes things a real adventure on the putt."

John made note of the quality of the course, now in only its first full year of operation. "The course is in great shape for being so new. The lawns look mature and the attention to maintenance is superb."

In addition to the quantity of bunkers, sand traps and other hazards, the roughs here are, well, rough. "It's easy to lose balls here" said Dad. "The roughs are especially thick and high to add to the challenge."

The course itself winds through a number of housing subdivisions, is adjacent to a municipal park and an office park, and the airport control tower is easily visible from a distance. But pay special attention to the 16th and 17th holes - they pass through an actual environmentally protected wetland, with water hazards, thick reeds and dense foliage. It is the coolest and most unique feature here at Diamond Hawk.

While we were golfing, Andrew, who was a Cheektowaga Councilman when the bond issue was executed to buy the land for this course back in the early 90s, gave us a historical background of all the difficulties and false starts that happened before the dream of a Cheektowaga golf course finally happened. He was beaming with pride all afternoon long. "This place is so awesome. Another superb amenity here in our great town."

Our special thanks to proprietor Sam Tadio for hosting us today. Suffice to say we will be back. Oh, and check out the Diamond Hawk website for everything you need to know about the place.

The Riches say farewell to Wichita

2007-06-09T17:52:00.000-05:00

Last year around this time Rich Baseball Group, owners of the Buffalo Bisons and two other minor league teams dropped the bombshell that they were moving their AA baseball team, the Wichita Wranglers, to a new ballpark and a better deal in Springdale, Arkansas.

We did a story on this last topic last July in our Artvoice baseball column "Play Ball". My recollection of preparing that story was that nobody at the Bisons wanted to talk to us about it, which I found a bit amusing since normally when we contact Brad Bisbing at the Bisons seeking an interview or information, he is more than happy to oblige and assist.

Anyways, as part of the deal, the Riches agreed to leave intact a highly popular baseball tournament in Wichita called the National Baseball Congress. In fact, it was this provision that quelled the leaders of Wichita and prevented them kicking up the dust about losing their AA team.

Looks now like the City of Wichita is going to buy the National Baseball Congress from the Riches, insuring that the event remains in their city. Once this deal is completed, and the curtain descends on the Wranglers' 2007 season, it will spell the end of Rich Baseball's association with Wichita, Kansas.

More from the Wichita Eagle.

LeBron and Co.......Meet the Borg

2007-06-08T10:36:00.000-05:00

Some random NBA stuff from the past couple of days....

First off, let me thank Lebron James for his Jordanesque effort in the ECF Game 5. And while I'm at it, hats off to Boobie Gibson for his play in the fourth quarter of Game 6 and for giving millions of sports fans the ability to say "Boobie" without being accused of having their mind in the gutter.

The respective efforts of these two are the biggest reason why people(like me) will actually be turning on the TV during this year's Finals rather than be subjected to another Pistons/Spurs borefest.

Now Cleveland gets to face its toughest team yet in the Borg....err...Spurs.

I call them the Borg since they are just so methodical in their style and also don't have much flash, no real personalities that you just wish to latch onto. Just a basketball team that has been the NBA's best over the past decade that is searching for their fourth ring since '99.

If Game 1 is any indication, this is highly likely to happen. In that game, Tony Parker was too quick to the hoop with 27 points. The Spurs got way too many second chances off the boards against a team that prides itself in rebounding department. And Timmy was....well....Timmy.

And oh yeah, did I mention LeBron not hitting an FG 'til halfway through the third??? That isn't going to get it done for the Cavs.

Nice run to the Finals Cleveland, but the reality is the Cavs took advantage of an ultra weak Eastern Conference and needed some amazing performances in Games 5 and 6 of the ECF to reach the Finals and now face a veteran club that is basically the Patriots of the NBA. The Cavs did sweep the season series with the Spurs and frankly this series will still go a long way, the distance I think.

But the ending will remain the same. A Larry O'Brien trophy at the Alamo....again.

This is a joke, right????

2007-06-08T10:03:00.000-05:00

Apparently not, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal which reports that the NHL is going to expand to Las Vegas and Kansas City in the coming years.

Movie mogul Jerry Bruckheimer is looking into heading up a potential Vegas franchise, and with the Anschutz Entertainment Group(LA Kings, Galxy, Chicago Fire and more) behind the efforts in Kansas City it is only a matter of time before this becomes a reality.

Admittedly, that may be 4-5 years away though. So says this report found on TSN.

Dear Gary Bettman:

ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND!!!!!

You've got more interest in the sport of hockey in places like Cairo and Calcutta than you do in these two NHL hellholes. Neither city has been able to support the sport for long periods of time regardless of level of competition.

If you really have to expand to two more places, let me help you out. I'll even give you a non traditional market that makes a shred of sense...

1. Winnipeg: passionate fan base that will fill the joint on a nightly basis in their new MTS Centre. They've been banging the drum for another NHL club almost since the Jets left a decade ago. What's the matter? Don't you want your product in a city where it is actually desired??

2. Houston: Another brand new venue in the Toyota Center, and you know what? They have a strong and continous tradition of hockey going back decades.

Gary, I know you came to the job without knowing a shred of hockey back in the mid nineties, but way back in the seventies there was this rival pro league known as the WHA that had a team in Houston.

Did you know they were pretty darned good too? Had this player...Howe...Gordie Howe. Guy was so old that he had his sons on the team with him as well. Won the Avco Cup twice. Even applied to be part of the NHL merger back then. Hopefully you also know there's current IHL/AHL version that's been around for the last fifteen years or so as well.

C'mon Gary, I'm giving you two slam dunks here. Two cities that are known hockey markets and in Houston a large media market with loads of money to insure success. And heck, Stars v. Aeros...instant rivalry!!!!

There you go Gary, I'm just some silly blogger. But my proposal sure make more sense than yours.

"just another day in SoCal"

2007-06-07T19:06:00.000-05:00

So said Jim Rome today, as he was doing his reset on last night's Stanley Cup clinching game by the Anaheim Ducks.

Was it me, or did the crowd enthusiasm and joy resemble something like... the Buffalo Bandits winning the Champions Cup (1996). Or... the Buffalo Bisons clinching the Governors Cup on home field (2004). Sure it was great. Sure it was fun. We all cheered, they played Queen, the players paraded around wth their trophy, and we all went home.

I watched much of the game, and imagined what it would have been like if this had been Buffalo, running away with game 5 and poised to clinch the Cup themselves. The crowd would have been on their feet with 10 minutes to go... the noise would have been deafening... the crescendo would have built louder and louder and louder... As the game ended people would have been hugging, grown men would have been weeping. It would have been a moment that our city had never experienced. This entire community would have exploded in utter joy and jubilation.

And the same would have been true in Ottawa... heck it would have been a national holiday all across Canada today.

But in SoCal, it was just another day.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman came across as a stupid whiney simp on the ice, pandering to the SoCal crowd and doing a lousy job at it. His awkward handoff of the Stanley Cup to Scott Niedermayer looked awful.

And did I see the Ducks unfurl their championship banner in the rafters as soon as the game ended? So much for tradition and ceremony and a formal banner raising event in the fall.

This might sound like sour grapes, but I couldn't care less about anybody with a "Buffalo connection" and how happy they are. But that won't stop everyone in the media around here from running over to the Marchants this summer to get a glimpse of the Cup and the obligatory sound bites of how proud the parents are and grinning neighbors up in Clarence or wherever saying how cool it is that the Cup is on the street. Please spare me!

And no, I am not happy for Brad May... I always regarded him as a borderline psychopath, especially since the time he broke Derek Plante's nose (deliberately) the season after he left Buffalo. I mean, how do you do that to an ex-teammate who you played alongside with and showered with and traveled with. I think he is a few pieces of chicken short of a picnic basket.

Another day in SoCal... yet how sad that in places in Buffalo, other peer hockey markets that are equally as rabid, and wannabe NHL cities the moment would have meant so much more.

2012 Olympics Logo

2007-06-06T08:04:00.000-05:00

Time to dust off this letter...

"Dear Fans,

Please refrain from making your final judgment on the logo until you see how the whole thing looks.

Sincerely,
Larry Quinn"

More from the UK Telegraph. Oh and by the way... the cost for this mess? $800,000!

Outdoor NHL hockey coming next season

2007-06-05T22:09:00.000-05:00

Remember the Heritage Classic? On November 22, 2003, the Edmonton Oilers faced off outdoors against the Mongtreal Canadiens in Edmonton's Commonwealth Stadium, in what became the largest attended game in NHL history. What was not expected was the bitter cold temperatures, with wind chills approaching -22F.

Apparently the NHL is set to do it all over again next season, with details yet to be announced. Rumors have it that an American based team will be involved, and the game will be telecast on NBC as part of its game schedule. Teams, venue and date will be released at a later date.

So I am thinking... Buffalo v Toronto at the Ralph? Would this not be an epic event? Would all of Buffalo and all of Toronto not turn out for such a spectacle? Chime in with your thoughts...

The Chinese on baseball: "It's like a sport for nobility"

2007-06-04T18:23:00.000-05:00

In Beijing they are busy building and prepping Wikesong Baseball Field, which will be the host venue for baseball in the 2008 Olympic Games.

Then incredibly, as this article in the Globe and Mail points out, they will be demolishing this perfectly fine and beautiful baseball park once the Games are over, to build a shopping mall no less. While the NBA has Chinese folks rabidly excited, apparently one can't say the same about baseball over there.

Down at the ballpark early today...

2007-06-03T11:08:00.000-05:00

Gotta interview Bisons Manager Torey Lovullo for this week's "Play Ball" column. He's doing his thing with Bisons play by play announcer Ben Wagner right now. Then I'm next.

Just so cool being down here at this time of day... the grounds crew and maintenance people are scrubbing and cleaning and getting the place ready; players jogging around the warning track or hitting balls in the batting cage. All is good... except?

Well, seems like a sewage pipe right behind the Bisons dugout busted last night. "Smelled like s**t the whole game", Torey groused. They were still pumping and disinfecting as I left the dugout.

I never take for granted how lucky I am to be able to do this job and experience the game from this perspective. Yeah..even the sewage part.

The latest perfomance for the ages....

2007-06-01T18:19:00.000-05:00

Last night was a big night for me...got the dish hooked up to my brand new flatscreen HDTV at the new casa, and with that the premier showing for the evening would be Game 5 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals.

Fast forward to about 10 PM...I'm fading, eyes drooping, losing consciousness, and decided to push the power button while the game was late in the third quarter.

Dumb move Petey, biggest damned mistake since Wade Phillips said "let's kick it now with 16 seconds left".....apparently I missed a clutch performance for the ages from Lebron James.

He what??? Scored the final 25 points for the Cavs?? 29 of the last 30??

Huh!!!!

And in doing so brought the Cavs to within a game of their first NBA Finals appearance in their 37 year history??

Wait a minute....

Ain't this the same person that was being torn to shreds in the media after passing up a game tying shot in Game 1 to pass to a wide open* Donyell Marshall for the win? The guy who supposedly didn't want the ball in the clutch with the game on the line.

Same media with this opinion is very quiet now...and can probably be found hiding in some underground bunker in North Buffalo as we speak.

*(defined as: able to take pass, put ball in hand, grab a handful of popcorn/swig some beer from guy in front row and still have plenty of time to get said shot off.)

Seeing the highlights brought back the memories of other great NBA performances on this stage. Jordan's 63 in '86 against the Celtics in the Gahhhhden....Isiah's courageous performance in '87 on a twisted ankle putting in 25 4th quarter tallies....Bird and Dominique going mano y mano in Game 7 of the '88 Conference semis.

This one ranks right up there. I can't say best ever, but if I have to go back nearly two decades to find a performance that matches James from last night I'd say close enough.

Two big games Saturday night: Stanley Cup Finals/NBA ECF Game 6.

Watch the Senators if you wish.

I'll be watching the King.

Torey Lovullo - going to the All Star game.

2007-05-31T14:55:00.000-05:00

Bisons Manager Torey Lovullo will be heading to Albuquerque in July as a member of the International League's squad coaching team.

Congrats to our skipper!

More info on the Bisons website.

Charlotte Coliseum - BOOM!

2007-05-30T18:07:00.000-05:00

It's coming down this Sunday.

Charlotte Coliseum was the venue for TWO official USRT visits... In January, 2001 we visited to see the NBA Charlotte Hornets; the Hornets eventually departed for New Orleans, but the city got an exapnsion team two years later. In November, 2004 we returned to see the Charlotte Bobcats take to the court in their one season at the old Coliseum, before moving to their new downtown arena the following year.

HERE is our venue profile.

Road trip duo doing all 30 MLB parks

2007-05-30T16:36:00.000-05:00

From the email box comes news of two fellas.. Neal Koral and Alon Mass, who are in the midst of a 22,000 trip by car to every Major League Baseball venue, and are also raising moneys for various charities including the Make A Wiah Foundation, the American Cancer Society and the RBI Program.

In checking out their schedule, turns out the guys are in our region today, visiting Niagara Falls enroute to the Rogers Centre in Toronto. We would have liked to give them a shout and hook up, but with Pete moving into his new house in Amherst and me wrapped up in Cheektowaga Democratic Party affairs, free time is at a premium this week.

Check out their website. And we send them our best wishes for a successful journey and great adventures!

Cubs to Vero Beach... yeah, right.

2007-05-29T15:59:00.000-05:00

With the Los Angeles Dodgers slated to leave Dodgertown after the 2008 Spring Training season for a new headquarters in Goodyear, Arizona, the folks in Vero Beach will be scrambling for a new tenant.

But the Chicago Cubs?

So says TCPalm columnist Russ Lemmon in this article, which he must have jotted down after waking up from some wet dream of his.

Ain't happenin'... and here's why. The Cubs are the flagship franchise of Arizona's Cactus League. They regularly are the spring attendance leaders, the top revenue producers, and with easy non stop air service between Chicago and Phoenix, have been a huge tourist draw for Windy City snowbirds. Getting to Vero Beach by air is far more cumbersome.

The Cubs will be staying put at Ho Ho Kam Park in Mesa, in my humble opinion. As for Holman Stadium in Dodgertown, they might be able to attract the Milwaukee Brewers, now based at the Maryvale Baseball park in Phoenix, or even the Cincinnati Reds, whose attempts to upgrade their venue in Sarasota have been one disaster after the next.

As for us, we've got a 2008 USRT visit to Dodgertown right on our road trip schedule. It will be a combo NCAA basketball subregional at Tampa's St. Pete Times Forum, and stops to a few baseball parks, Vero Beach being among them.

Our weekly series on cool media folks - Meet Mike Harrington

2007-05-28T09:49:00.000-05:00

This is one tribute that is way overdue considering we've been blogging a few months now.

No one, but NO ONE, has had as profound an impact on the Ultimate Sports Road Trip as Mike Harrington has. When Mike first met us and learned what we were doing, his passion and support was immediate. His coverage of the USRT through two feature articles in the Buffalo News, in 2001 and in 2003, made it to national news wires and media outlets. The rest, as they say, is history... the News stories resulted in a live appearance on The Today Show and a writeup in Sports Illustrated. For two average blokes like us, it was the "15 minutes of fame" that most people just dream of.

We first met Mike back in 2001 in the pressbox at the ballpark, when we were still starting out ourselves as media guys doing the Sportsblast stuff. We had just gotten back from our official USRT visit to Pac Bell Park in San Francisco, and we had snapped a photo there of a fan in the stands who bore a close resemblance to Mike, in fact it was scary how much alike this guy looked. We emailed the pic to Mike, he got a kick out of it, and asked us what we were doing out in San Francisco. We replied, "Stop #87, Mike. We're doing all 121 teams in the four major sports." Mike was so impressed, he pitched the idea of a story in the Buffalo News, and the first piece ran in the fall of 2001.

Since that time, Mike has kept closely abreast of our travels, and when we hit the finish line in Detroit in December 2002, he was one of the first people on the phone the next day, offering his congratulations, wanting to hear the details of the adventure, and of course another news story.

In February of 2003, we held a celebration in the party suite at HSBC Arena, culminating the USRT at the place where it started (Stop #1 - Buffalo Sabres 1998). Mike joined us at the party and was there to raise a glass to our accomplishment. It's one thing for a reporter to cover a topic and write a story; that Mike Harrington would take time out of his schedule to take part in this occasion and meet our families and close friends speaks volumes for the type of guy he is.

We get to see Mike and spend time with him often during the year, as he is a fixture at Dunn Tire Park as the lead baseball reporter covering the Bisons. Mike also handles college basketball for the paper and we've bumped shoulders at numerous tournaments over the past few years and have even hung out a few times when the work day was done.

Mike is also blogging now on the Buffalo News website and we trade comments often. Check out his blog postings or his weekly Inside Baseball column in the Buffalo News. From time to time he will share a story about a sports venue he has visited, or commentary and critique about an arena, a behind the scenes peek that most sports reporters would ignore.

We shamelessly take credit for that. For while Mike Harrington has had a deep impact on the USRT, we think the USRT has rubbed off on Mike Harrington as well. And that's a good thing!

Coney Island amusement park will be no more

2007-05-27T14:16:00.000-05:00

When we visited KeySpan Park, home of the NY-Penn League Brooklyn Cyclones, the entire experience blew us away. Here sat this amazing minor league ballpark, right on the Atlantic Ocean, attached to the famed Coney Island boardwalk, and right next door was the seedy and rundown yet awesome amusement park bearing the famed Cyclone roller coaster. And right down Surf Blvd is the original home of Nathan's Famous hot dogs, and they taste sooooo good there!

Put it all together and it is a tremendous baseball/entertainment experience.

And soon it will be gone.

In today's New York Newsday, comes the announcement that a $2 billion hotel and entertainment venue will replace the venerable amusement park, but the ballpark will remain, and for the road tripper remains a truly top notch stadium destination.

By the way, the obligatory pilgrimage to Nathan's is still a must!

So much for the American teams

2007-05-26T07:35:00.000-05:00

Well all my sarcastic chants for U-S-A! U-S-A! have gone for naught.

It will be the Medicine Hat Tigers and the Vancouver Giants facing off on Sunday for the Memorial Cup, the trophy symbolizing supremacy in Canadian junior hockey.

Plymouth lost last night in the semi final by a score of 8-1 to Vancouver. Ouch!

The finals take place tomorrow at 4PM at GM Place in Vancouver. This tournament has shattered all Memorial Cup attedance records.

I had predicted Lewiston to win it all, and they looked like the worst of the four teams. What the hell do I know anyway!

May 27 update.... Vancouver 3, Medicine Hat 1, final.... Vancouver Giants win the 2007 Memorial Cup

They are sprucing up Damaschke Field

2007-05-25T18:35:00.000-05:00

The New York Penn League has rolled out some glitzy baseball parks in recent years, none nicer than KeySpan Park on Coney Island and Medlar Field on the Penn State campus in State College.

Then there's Damaschke Field.

If you want the "old school" minor league baseball experience, there is no place more tumble down and humble than the home of the Oneonta Tigers. Owner Sam Nader holds court in his "box seats" on the first base side, bragging that this is the only "dry ballpark" (translation - no beer) in professional baseball, son Bill is running back and forth between the ticket booth and grilling hot dogs, the baselines and outfield are surrounded by a wooden fence with, yes, real knotholes to get a peek of the action. and the rolling hills in the distance make for a bucolic setting.

In other, words, this a slice of baseball heaven.

We got to visit this venue on a USRT journey back in 2003, got to talk with Sam which was a priceless experience in itself, and were just shaking our heads at how truly bad this place was, and how much we loved the experience.

Apparently, Damaschke Field is getting a bit of a touch up, as this article in The Daily Star indicates. The NY-P season opens June 22.

The nice thing about attending an Oneonta Tigers game is that it is just a short hop from the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, and less than five hours away from Buffalo. Wouldn't mind heading back and checking the place out... and having a beer, ummm... soft drink with Sam and once again being regaled with timeless baseball stories.

Today's Bucky Gleason - how a good column ends in mush

2007-05-24T12:20:00.000-05:00

I am not crazy about critiquing or picking apart the work of other journalists in the Buffalo sports media. For the most past everyone here does a solid job, and Buffalo News columnist Bucky Gleason falls in that category, even if he is a trifle cold and aloof to people (like us) who he does not deem as his contemporaries. We're fine with that.

In today's Buffalo News, Bucky presents this commentary offering some unique insight on Maxim Afinogenov's mindset about the Sabres playoff run, more or less stating that Max was perfectly fine with the outcome of the season and what the team did achieve. Hmmmm. Interesting.

He then goes on to take jabs at Assistant Coach Brian McCutcheon and players Jaroslav Spacek and Dmitri Kalinin. OK.

Now time to put a wrap on the column, end it with a bang. Here goes...
"If they give half-hearted efforts next season like they did against Ottawa, they’ll have 10,000 people inside HSBC Arena rather than 10,000 people outside."

Huh???

The Sabres capped their season ticket sales at 14,800 this year, and have a waiting list in excess of 6,000 more requests. Most current season ticket holders have already renewed for next year.

Or didn't Bucky know that?

Furthermore, I've been told by sources that the team will most likely scrap the mini pack product next season, because it is too unwieldy to manage and the tickets just aren't there. The team will leave between 2500-3000 tickets per game for single sales, and my bet is they get snapped up as soon as they become available.

Will it ever go back to the days where the season ticket base falters and there are yawning gaps of empty seats in the corners and end zones game after game? Sure it can, but with the season ticket price structure being so attractive, and the variable pricing policy for quality of opponent, it would take years of dreary and depressing play for the ticket base to erode. I'm confident that we're looking at years of continuous sellouts.

It would be nice if Bucky could focus on some of the good days and great moments that have come from the Sabres these past two seasons, yet he seems to only want to dwell on the negative, almost hoping that the future brings misery and hard luck. Perhaps there's something gooey in the water cooler at One News Plaza, because I flip the page, and there's Donny Osmond, ripping once again on Canalside... "Big Box!" "Abomination!" UGH!

Kauffman Stadium to get dramatic facelift

2007-05-22T17:43:00.000-05:00

It is one of the most beautiful ballparks in all of Major League Baseball - Kauffman Stadium, home of the Kansas City Royals, has always been best known for its dramatic outfield fountains.

And now it is about to get much better, as the Royals today have announced a $250MM renovation plan which will be built in several phases, with completion targeted for Opening Day 2010.

More on the plans here at the Kansas City Royals website.

In the USRT rankings, Kauffman Stadium earned 19th place out of 30 teams, with deductions coming thanks to some snooty ushers and generally a horrible location. There will be absolutely NO problem having to twist our arm for another Ultimate Sports Road Trip visit. Will the Sprint Center have a major sports tenant by then as well?

Coming in 2009... "The MLB Network"

2007-05-21T18:26:00.000-05:00

It will be the largest cable tv and satellite tv rollout in history... approximately 47 million homes will start receiving the "MLB Network" when it begins broadcasting on January 1, 2009. Included on the channel will be a Saturday night Game of the Week airing on 26 consecutive weekends.

More news at this article on mlb.com.

Garrioch watch - Report #5 (Final)

2007-05-20T09:13:00.000-05:00

Alrighty. Enough already.

Time to lighten up on Ottawa Sun hockey writer Bruce Garrioch, the fella we demonized after he made his ridiculous rants on MSG back in February, back then ripping into Sabres owner Tom Golisano and poking fun at injured star Chris Drury.

Garrioch's stories in today's Ottawa Sun, linked HERE and HERE, are balanced stories and good reads from the Ottawa perspective.

Zero tee-hees. Happy trails to The Joe or The Pond, Bruce.

Oh heck, one last time for good measure... tickle that tummy!

Now time to focus on a REAL sport.....The NBA

2007-05-19T19:33:00.000-05:00

Hey....there have been more cheap shots and dirty hits in those playoffs than in the NHL this season. See any Spurs game for proof....

I'd like to say I'm really anticipting the professional version of the Final Four, but really all the good fun teams to watch are gone. Miami's title defense goes without so much as a postseason victory, Golden State aroused us with the latest version of Nellieball, and Phoenix was the victim of several cheap shots from the Spurs followed by a big one from the Commisioners Office....

(Quite frankly, Stern's suspensions didn't do nearly the damage to the Suns as he did to the Knicks back in '97, but the Knick fan in me digresses)

Anyhow, we're stuck with this loathsome foursome as we head towards the awarding of the Larry O'Brien Trophy.....

Cleveland v. Detroit....is there any other reason to watch this series than to watch the brilliance of LeBron James? Unfortunately, he just doesn't have a supporting cast to avoid being the wrath of Detroit's suffocating defensive system. This one will be a yawner even if it goes seven games.

It won't: Pistons in six games

Utah v San Antonio: Ah, yes...the Spurs, the Patriots of the NBA.....winners of three titles in the past eight seasons and until this season a rep for being a classy team. In steps Bruce Bowen(literally) and Big Shot.....errrr....Cheap Shot Robert Horry among others. It makes you wonder if referee Joey Crawford wasn't too far off in challenging Tim Duncan to a scrum late in the season. This team has developed quite the nasty edge, for certain.

Wow! So that's where Deron Williams went after leaving Illinois.....what a breath of fresh air that guy has been, and who knew that the Jazz would get to the Conference Finals this quickly after the end of the Stockton/Malone era. I like this group, they have been able to play whatever style has been thrown at them by the opposition...whether it be the uptempo Warriors or the slower Rockets.

But unfortunately, the Spurs are too deep for these guys I thinks. Would love nothing more than to see a freak injury hit Bowen or Horry.

Screw it: let my heart think this time. Cinderella lives in Salt Lake City. Jazz to the Finals in seven with stunned silence at Riverwalk when it's done.

GAME 5: Senators 3, Sabres 2, OT

2007-05-19T17:26:00.000-05:00

The dream died tonight.

From the very moment the Sabres lost game 7 in Carolina last June, everything was geared towards this season - the perfect storm of keeping this team largely intact, a year of maturity, of seasoning, a mantra of "One Team. One Goal." The energy began early on... the winning streak in October set the tone, fans snapped up every remaining available ticket and for the first time since the 70s there is a "waiting list" for season tickets.

In February adversity hit the team with injury after injury, yet the team worked through their troubles, and by March the run for the division banner and the President's Trophy was on.

By playoff time there came that queasy feeling - the stumbles against the New York Islanders and the New York Rangers, and somehow just the feeling that this was not the same as last year.

Then came the Ottawa Senators.

Said Daniel Alfredsson, "I think they ran into us at the wrong time."

Alfredsson was right on the money. His team played like they were possessed through the last two months of the regular season. That epic brawl in Buffalo on February 22 set the tone for the coming playoff matchup. Was anyone in Buffalo really looking forward to seeing Ottawa in the playoffs?

After the game, a dejected Lindy Ruff looked like he was fighting back tears as he saluted the fans. "The positive was how energized this city was. How much fun this whole area and city had. We had a lot to be proud of." Then choked up he added "We let the fans down. The expectations were so high. That room was as quiet as quiet can be."

Chris Drury's comments sounded more ominous. Sporting eight stitches below his lip and three more inside his mouth from a puck to the face he took in the third period, Drury remarked "great chance we're not going to be a group anymore. We know there will be changes made. Ultimately that's what we do."

Uh boy.

Our guy Mike Harrington from the Buffalo News broke up the room when he asked Ray Emery this question: "Greektown or Disneyland?" Emery replied, "I got into a lot of trouble last time I talked about this so I don't think I should answer." Harrington pressed on, and Emery cracked back "I'll be in the hotel either way."

Pete missed this game as he worked his USPS shift plus overtime so I was furiously sending him text messages throughout the game to keep him updated. I'm sure he will have his own thoughts to post here, but for now I will post mine.

This was another amazing season. It's been an amazing two years and I can wrap myself in the great memories of the post lockout era and how much being a Sabres fan means to me. We have every reason to be proud of this city and I am prouder than ever of my community and how they have embraced this team. Yeah, we're going to lose players. But so are other teams. This organization is positioned to compete next year and beyond for the Cup.

Thank you Sabres. I am looking forward to next year already. Can't wait!

And yeah, Ottawa is now our bitter rival, and next season I will start hating them again. But for me, right here and right now? "Go Sens Go!"

More "love" from across the Peace Bridge

2007-05-18T22:41:00.000-05:00

So tonight I'm flipping through sites and articles and checking out Anything Sabres, and I come across this attempt at a clever piece in the Welland Tribune. (For anyone not from these parts, Welland Ontario is about 25 miles west of Buffalo just across the border.)

The salient points? We lost our NBA team, never won a Super Bowl, never won a Stanley Cup, thousands of jobs gone and more leaving by the day. And we pathetic WNY'ers are just sooooooo desperate for any sort of championship so we could feel good about ourselves again.

Then the kicker... ain't happenin! The writer, some beady eyed, flapping headed Canuck named "Bernd" goes on to gloat how his (suddenly beloved) Senators will be fine, wraps himself in his maple leaf flag, and concludes the piece by saying "Buffalo, better keep those Stanley Cup parade plans on hold."

I have no problem with Canadians from Nepean and Kemptville and Cornwall and Hull, QC supporting the Senators. I do have a problem with any Canadians who can easily catch 2, 4 and 7 with a set of cheap rabbit ears doing likewise.

Wayne Redshaw is a long time hockey writer from the Welland Tribune.. . Heck I remember reading his articles in Sabres programs when I was 12 years old and the top row in the Aud was colored grey. Wayne still covers the Sabres, and I'm going to make a point of giving him an earful in the pressbox tomorrow about his colleague "Bernd".

As an aside... too bad this wasn't a Bruce Garrioch piece... the 'tee-hees" would have been off the charts!

U-S-A! U-S-A! Memorial Cup action starts tonight

2007-05-18T19:26:00.000-05:00

My patriotic fervor is climbing... my love for the red, white and blue manifests itself through the glow all over me and the love I have for our country.

Hey, all of Canada is tuned into CBC and TSN and are all of a sudden rooting for their beloved Senators and their fellow countrymen, guys like Daniel Alfredsson and Anton Volchenkov, to bring home the Stanley Cup to the place where it rightfully belongs, right? So tit for tat - I and all of America are gripped with Memorial Cup fever. And not one, but TWO American based franchises are representing Old Glory in this year's tournament, which begins tonight at Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver.

Four teams participate - the winner of the three major leagues in Canada - the WHL, the OHL and QMJHL. The fourth entrant is the host team, which this year is the Vancouver Giants.

The Medicine Hat Tigers won the WHL, but it was the Plymouth (MI) Whalers taking the OHL crown, while the Lewiston (ME) Maineiacs became the first American based team ever to win the Q. So we have two shots at bringing the Memorial Cup to American soil.

The teams play each other in a round robin format, with the top two finishers then facing off in the championship game, set for Sun May 27 at 4PM at General Motors Place. Would it not be awesome if those two teams end up being Plymouth and Lewiston? What would Don Cherry then have to say? Oh, how the Canadian hockey purists would howl!

I am no expert analyst at junior hockey, just someone who loves the atmosphere and feeling of attending at game at this level. But my pick to win it all is the Lewiston Maineiacs... they swept Val D-Or in the QMJHL finals and did so in impressive fashion. All of French Canada is still horrified asking themselves how this could have happened, and in the next 10 days the rest of their country will be pondering the same question.

U-S-A! U-S-A!

Complete Memorial Cup schedule (all times EDT)
Fri 5/18 9pm VAN 4, PLY 3 OT
Sat 5/19 4pm LEW 3, MH 1
Sun 5/20 4:30pm VAN 2, LEW 1
Mon 5/21 8pm MH 4, PLY 1
Tue 5/22 8pm PLY 2, LEW 1 OT
Wed 5/23 10:30pm MH 1, VAN 0
Thur 5/24 10:30pm tiebreaker game PLY 5, LEW 1
Fri 5/25 8pm Semi Final VAN 8, PLY 1
Sun 5/27 4pm Championship VAN v MH

Garrioch watch - Report #4

2007-05-17T18:40:00.000-05:00

As Pundit likes to say, "I read it so you don't have to."

Frank Finnigan came from Shawville. Oh, and he played for the Senators 80 years ago. And his number was retired.

And Senators coach Bryan Murray hails from Shawville. Yip, yip, yippee! Isn't that cool?! Isn't that great?!

Link to Bruce's column here. I'll be generous here and keep it to a respectable 7 tee-hees. I could've come down harder.

Tickle that tummy!

Sens fans show their ugly side

2007-05-17T15:22:00.000-05:00

Kevin at Bfloblog shares this story about a female fan wearing Sabres garb who got punched in the face at Scotiabank Place last night following the Sabres 3-2 victory. This brought back memories of my first visit there.

It was 1997, and Game 3 of the first round of the playoffs, and my brother Taras and I made the journey up there; he had gotten some awesome club tickets thanks to a contact he had at the Sabres.

As we walked towards the arena, we got the typical hoots and jeers from the tailgaters in the parking lot... all good fun and we dished out the trash right back. But one particular group of knuckleheads were especially vile and condescending, sitting on the gate of their pickup and drinking their beers. We ignored them.

Gratefully, sitting in the pricey seats we didn't take any crap and were in fact surrounded by other Sabres folks like Jay McKee's mom and Matthew Barnaby's brother, along others. The Sabres' Dixon Ward scored with, I think, 18 seconds left to stun the crowd and give Buffalo the win. Of course, we were on cloud nine, and as we exited the building, we ran into that same bunch of knuckleheads...college age or so. I walked up to them, extended my hand, and said... "gee tough loss guys, but it will be a long series may the better team win." (Little did we know then..game 7 OT.. Derek Plante...) The one dude looks me over up and down and spits a huge honker right into my palm. And then the profanities. I was going to swing a punch but decided not to. So we just walked, but not before my brother took his boot and kicked over their little hibachi grill, coals and brats spilling onto the pavement. I thought for sure this would be it, the fight would be on and we'd all be arrested, but these guys just stood there and continued hurling profanities.

It gets better... we find a Kelseys Grill in Nepean (one town away) and go in for some late night brews and appetizers. We're both wearing Sabres jerseys. The place is half empty, but the hostess says it will be a 15 minute wait. Half an hour later, and we ask when can we be seated, and the hostess summons her manager, and Mr. Snooty says that they are closed for the evening, and to please leave... dripping in sarcasm and nastiness (four other parties were seated while we were waiting and the sign on the door said the place was open till 1AM).

At this point we left, shed the Sabres garb and went to another place and got waited on pronto.

I like Ottawa, and for Pete and me it is one of our favourite USRT destinations. And I admire the passionate fans and Lyndon Slewidge is THE best anthem singer in the four major sports. But fair warning...all this myth about polite and friendly Canadians goes out the window when it comes to their Senators... the fans there become real bastards. And having seen Sabres games in both Toronto and Montreal, I would never make the same categorization in those cities.

This week in Artvoice

2007-05-17T07:04:00.000-05:00

"How Could This Have Happened?"

Thus week's Puck Stop. Check it out!

Garrioch watch - Report #3

2007-05-16T16:58:00.000-05:00

Daniel Alfredsson levels a cheap hit on Henrik Tallinder during the overtime of Game 2.. Garrioch's take? "There is no chance Alfredsson will receive any kind of suspension from NHL VP Colin Campbell ..."

Did we expect any different sort of commentary from the biggest mouthpiece of the Ottawa Senators' Amen Corner?

Absolutely 8 tee-hees.

Tickle that tummy!

Buffalo 7, Ottawa 6

2007-05-16T08:57:00.000-05:00

An awesome game turn out into a nailbiter... Buffalo scores seven times and is in total command of the game, only to see Ottawa crawl back into it late. But it was good news for our guys in the end as Buffalo takes it and sends Ottawa fans home disappointed.

OK... this is really about the Buffalo Bisons game last night at Lynx Stadium in Ottawa. But I sure as heck wouldn't mind copying and pasting this text into a Sabres recap 14 hours from now.

Keep hope alive!

The greatest stadium ever built?

2007-05-15T16:51:00.000-05:00

Those who will be attending the FA Cup Final between Manchester United and Chelsea at the new Wembley Stadium in London will be the judge of that. This stadium will final open its doors after much controversy, delay after delay and cost overruns.

More info here from The Independent in the U.K.

A USRT journey to the United Kingdom has been bandied about from time to time. Wembley Stadium would certainly be the marquee event.

Our weekly series on cool media folks - Meet Chris Bandura

2007-05-14T20:51:00.000-05:00

We've remarked on numerous occasions how great it is to work with and interact with the Buffalo Sabres' media department. They are all top notch professionals, easy to work with, and responsive to our needs.

Media Relations Coordinator Chris Bandura is a key part of that team. But we knew Chris before he joined the Sabres. He held the same position with the Rochester Americans prior to his "call up" to Buffalo. Living in West Seneca, he commuted every day to Rochester, putting in huge hours not only with the long ride, but also the time that such a job demands.

In February 2005, we did a nine day USRT journey through New England, and one of the stops was Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester, New Hampshire, and the only day we could fit that one in was the skills competition of the AHL All Star Game. We contacted Chris, and he was only too eager to jump through hoops for us to make sure we got credentialed for the event. Sure enough... Chris gets a hold of Jason Chaimovitz, the PR guy at the AHL, and bam! Our tags under the Sports and Leisure Magazine banner were waiting for us at the door. Looking at the media seating chart that day, we knew there was no other media outlet in attendance who was smaller or less significant than we were.

Go to a morning skate, a team practice or postgame, and Chris is at everyone's service. "Who you need to talk to?", he asks. "Can I help with anything?" This is just the kind of guy he is.

Chris travels with the team to all their road games, and also handles the Buffalo media corps who goes with the team. We had the chance to cover six road games this season, and Chris handled our needs and requests promptly each time.

We are always grateful to Chris Bandura for his support, his good cheer, and for doing his job according to the title - media relations. That is something we will always appreciate in Chris!

Garrioch watch - Report #2

2007-05-13T09:41:00.000-05:00

Game 2 of this series wasn't even in the books yet, but Bruce Garrioch was already focusing in on the battle between Ray-Ray and Dominik Hasek.

So on our BG tee-hee scale with a range of 1-10, we give this story a solid 6 tee-hees.

Tickle that tummy!

GAME 2: Senators 4, Sabres 3, 2OT

2007-05-13T06:47:00.000-05:00

Maybe it's just not our time.

I am thinking about how exciting and electric these games were a year ago, heart stopping, edge of year seat moments, magical outcomes. When Dan Briere scored in the frenzied closing seconds and the arena erupted in joy, could this be yet another improbable finish in the making?

But here is the painful fact - the Sabres should have never put themselves in that position in the first place. Once again, this team got their "A" game back, came out smoking, dusted off the disappointment of the disallowed Vanek goal ("You hope they get it right" said Lindy Ruff again), and scored two goals. Two goals! Several more scoring chances went for naught; Lydman's bouncer clanged off the post. This game should have been over early.

But the Sabres attack mode seen in these playoffs in occasional spurts was gone by the second period. Shots on net, scoring chances were few and far between. And AGAIN the Sabres found themselves shorthanded by two men, and when Ottawa seized the opportunity late in the second that goal was a real crusher.

Lindy referred to this power player scenario two separate times in his post game comments. "They got handed another five on three. I'm disappointed with that." Then later..."Give us a couple of five on threes. We've had tough calls that leaves us five on three. Zubrus lifting the stick. Campbell with the nudge..."

The third period was dreary, depressing and painful to watch... on several rushes the players seemed out of position. In one sequence to the left of the Buffalo net Afinogenov checked his own player; Once again shots and scoring chances were virtually non existent, and dare I say it, but it was actually fun watching Ottawa win every little battle, making the smart plays, moving the puck to a safe place time and time again. I could only watch in frustation knowing deep down who the better team was.

Once Buffalo scored to tie it, you had to wonder if this would be a deflator in the Sens locker room, just as the Rangers had gone through almost the identical scenario just eight days earlier. The Sens Jason Spezza replies, "We knew we had to put this one behind us fast and regroup. Nobody here panicked. We're figuring we had the upper hand in this one."

Spezza was right. The Senators came out smoking in the first overtime, controlling tempo of play and keeping the puck bottled in the Buffalo zone for most of the period. By the second overtime, they had darkened the shot clock at HSBC Arena. Perhaps it was another errant squirrel that chewed through the wiring, or more likely the team had had enough of displaying this embarassing stat for all to see. Nonetheless, the Sabres started throwing every puck in front of Ray Emery, and at last perhaps something good would happen! But when Spezza won that draw and got it over to Corvo...just like that the Senators had won the game. Said Joe Corvo afterwards, "This was the biggest goal of my career... by far."

Everyone in Buffalo is so heart broken and so disappointed this morning. Since September we have all geared ourselves up for these days, these games, and nothing short of a Stanley Cup parade will suffice. Is this team really that bad? Do these guys really lack what it takes? Yes Ottawa is the team that is "scary good" in these playoffs, but didn't I see the Buffalo Amerks take it to these same guys back in February?

So I will wrap myself in the warmth of this thought - Scotiabank Place is not Buffalo's house of horrors, but the venue of some of our greatest triumphs - 1997, Steve Shields stonewalls the Sens in game 6 to send the series back to Buffalo; 1999, Hasek stops 40 plus shots to secure the opening game 1-0 win, then Miro Satan with his 2OT game winner in game 2; 2006, the crazy track meet in game 1 and a 7-6 overtime win, then Jason Pominville's shorthanded goal in overtime to take this series.

Yes it will be noisy and loud come Monday in Ottawa. They are awesome fans there and love their team and they should be loud.

That being said, see you in Buffalo next Saturday - 2PM faceoff. I will have the AV pressbox chair. Believe.

How can you not love this guy!

2007-05-12T15:23:00.000-05:00

An awesome, upbeat article on Sabres owner Tom Golisano in today's New York Times.

These two quotes jumped out at me, first on the financial state of the Sabres:

“We can remain profitable as long as we play decent hockey,” Golisano said. “If the team were to evolve into a lower-echelon team, I think there would be significant concern about losing money.”
It seems, for now, a faraway concern. Golisano considers the young roster of the Sabres perfectly positioned for years of Stanley Cup contention. The importance of profit may be less of a concern for Golisano, who considered his foray into ownership more an act of community service than investor prudence.
“The personal satisfaction of seeing the enthusiasm, the excitement of the people of western New York toward this hockey team, is worth to me a hell of a lot more than the money that we may or may not make,” he said.

More encouragement about the future of the Buffalo Bills:

He has no plans to rescue other ailing sports franchises, unless it means helping western New York.
“The only thing I will say along that line is that I would hate to see the Buffalo Bills leave the area,” Golisano said of the N.F.L. team, owned by the Wilson family since the franchise began in 1959, and not for sale. “And if a situation arose where I needed to be involved in that, I probably would consider it.”

I'm proud to say I voted for this guy for Governor... three times... and that is long before he had a whiff of owning the Sabres.

The media throngs at HSBC Arena

2007-05-11T19:33:00.000-05:00

The first hint I got that this would be something different was while hanging out on the Plaza 90 minutes before the faceoff. I was people watching, and paying particular attention to the media types, and the camera guys, who were mingling within the crowd. And I saw the mic flags... TSN, Rogers Sportsnet, The Score, Global, A-Channel. That's when I realized that all of Canada had sent media to Buffalo to cover this event.

Then my next thought...how the hell are they going to fit all these people into the pressbox?

Last year during the Conference Finals series, it was a pretty full pressbox, and that was for the paltry contingent of 'Canes media... the Cletuses, Roscoes and Goobers of the world... and Ned Barnett. Now multiply that visiting contingent by five, and change the names to Gord, Brent, Luc and Lanny. That adds up to a crush of people.

Here''s how the Sabres handled it all... there are two seating tiers in the pressbox, at the west and east ends. Then in the corner right off the elevator is an auxiliary pressbox which is rarely used during the regular season. That one was opened, and then the team did one better... they added a set of risers in all three pressboxes, with a row of tables and chairs, and thus created a third seating tier.

As for how we fared... here is the email we got from Kevin Snow at the Sabres before the series started.
MEDIA CREDENTIALS: Sabres credentials issued for the 2006-07 regular season will be honored for the Eastern Conference Finals, but press box space is limited. Please contact Kevin Snow to verify your attendance. Please include name and affiliation for each request. All individual game requests must be submitted 24 hours prior to the desired game. We will do our best to accommodate each request, but nothing is guaranteed. If a seat is unavailable in the press box, there will be space in the Sabres media room downstairs to view the game (on a big screen TV) and allow for post game access.

So I'm thinking.. no frikkin' way is Artvoice getting our usual spot on media row. The non dailies (Artvoice, Sports and Leisure and Metro Source) are usually relegated to the farthest three seats on the lower tier... seats 2, 3 and 4.

But as I checked in, I looked at the seating chart, and there we were, in SEAT 1! They removed the TV monitor that normally sits in that spot, mounted it on a bracket three feet behind the chair, and created another position. Kick ass!

Memo to Ottawa Citizen, La Presse, RDS and other compatriots... please don't send anyone else to Buffalo... seat 1 is absolutely the end of the food chain!

Garrioch watch - Report #1

2007-05-11T16:37:00.000-05:00

I've been revved up... waiting for Bruce Garrioch to start his rips and rants and his "in your face commentary". I even hijacked Buffalo Pundit's MKG mockability ratings, the hilarious critiques of Mary Kunz Goldman's inane Buffalo News columns. I was ready to start picking apart Garrioch's missives, in true Pundit style.

So wasn't I disappointed to check out today's Ottawa Sun, this story and this story, just regular ole' game reporting.

I probably didn't know what to expect... but there's still plenty of hockey to be played and we keep hope alive.

GAME 1: Senators 5, Sabres 2

2007-05-10T22:44:00.000-05:00

What can one say? This was by far the worst effort of the Sabres in the playoffs.

Despite some shoddy play, the Sabres managed to crawl out of a 2-0 hole to tie the game after two, then totally became unhinged in the third period. Oleg Saprykin's tap in 7+ minutes into the third turned out to be the game winner.

Buffalo's power play has been a sore point all season long, but the special teams took the ineptness to a new low tonight, failing to generate any real scoring threat despite numerous opportunities. Buffalo's first power play resulted in a shorthanded goal as Kalinin made one his first dumb plays of the night giving away the puck and allowing a breakaway. "We weren't very good with the puck, and Dmitri wan't the only player who struggled out there. Our puck management wasn't very good." said Coach Lindy Ruff after the game.

With Ottawa clinging to a 3-2 lead with 5 minutes to go, I turned to my seatmate, Matt Ondesko from Metro Source, and said "Matthew, if Ottawa wants to salt this one away, they should now commit a double minor penalty. That would be lights out." He laughed. He didn't argue.

Ruff also criticized his players for the unforced turnovers. "It was a turnover that led to the winning goal." said Ruff, adding "We came out great to start the game, maybe our guys got a little rattled."

If there was one bright spot on the Sabres team, it was the play of the Afinogenov-Roy-Vanek line. Max was absolutely filthy out there, making plays, controlling the puck, taking hits and dishing it right back to the Senators.

Bottom line - special teams! Five on five the Sabres win 2-1.

Peter was in the seats tonight, I was in the very crowded pressbox, and I'll have a story up on all that hubbub tomorrow. But the report from the 100s was that there were only a very small and scattered contingent of Senators fans in the audience. We expect that to increase in game 2.

As always, Peter likes to spot the cool jerseys in the crowd, and tonight he reports that it was a toss up between an Afinogenov Moscow Dynamo and a Hecht Team Deustchland.

Here's a scary stat - Buffalo has dropped the opener in a best of seven series 14 times in franchise history. They have come back to win the series but one of those times.

One could sense a lot of confidence, perhaps even a swagger, among the Sens players after the game tonight. Unless Buffalo figures this team out and fast, this series could be over soon.

This week in Artvoice

2007-05-10T08:57:00.000-05:00

"Sabres and Senators at it again."

This week's Puck Stop. Check it out!

Plus, Peter and I and our editor Geoff Kelly offer our round three predictions.

The Bruce Garrioch watch is on!

2007-05-10T01:00:00.000-05:00

You remember Bruce Garrioch?

This loathsome piece of crap from the Ottawa Sun is lionized up in Canada as some brilliant hockey columnist, but my first and only recollection of him is getting his pudgy ugly mug on MSG two days after Chris Neil blindsided Chris Drury and sent him to the injury list. Garrioch went toe to toe with Kevin Sylvester and Rob Ray justifying the hit and making his weak and lame arguments for his Senators, a discussion which had many WNY Sabres fans fuming and screaming at their TV sets.

Well Garrioch is on his way to Buffalo, and apparently he is hopping in his car and driving, since John Muckler kicked the media off of the team charter.

From Garrioch's blog...
Off to Buffalo.
The Sun team - Don Brennan, Chris Stevenson, Sean McKibbon and your hero - are headed to Buffalo to cover the big series against the Buffalo Sabres. I told Brennan I was bringing my computer and he told me not to forget my cooler. So we packed both. With flight connections tough between Buffalo and Ottawa _ and since Senators GM John Muckler gave the media the boot from the club charter - the five hour drive is the easiest way to get o Buffalo.
Look, I know a lot of people dump on the place, but's actually a good city that we like to visit. Might even drop by the Anchor Bar (the original home of the chicken wing) where my picture is posted on the wall eating wings at 8 a.m. with CFRA's Steve Madely in 1997.
Should be fun.

Garrioch's mug is on the wall at the Anchor Bar? Ewww what an appetite killer that is!

So will Bruce Garrioch be this year's Ned Barnett? Time will tell, and we will be watching and providing updates!

BCHF (Bandwagoning Canadian Hockey Fan)

2007-05-09T19:31:00.000-05:00

Did you catch this story in the News today. Gee, isn't that nice....at least Ft. Erie is kinda sorta rooting for the Sabres....

One quote in particular that galls me.....

“Go Ottawa, anybody but Buffalo,” Fort Erie resident Christine Carty said Tuesday. “I like Toronto, but Toronto’s not in, so you have to go with the Canadian team.”

Why Christine? Can you please explain to me why you have to root for a team in Ottawa, that more than any other club(except maybe the 90's Wings) built itself into a consistent playoff contender using players from just about every country on Earth EXCEPT Canada. Not to mention as a Leaf fan(allegedly) your hated rival.

Daniel Alfredsson....Anton Volchenkov....Oleg Syprekin....remember the old Sens with Alexei Yashin...Zdeno Chara....Hasek. I could go nuts with this....if a purely Canadian team was a GM, then this club has been a Toyota building its team with foreign born parts.

Oh yes, remember when your goalie Ray "McGahee" Emery stunk up the joint so bad in last season's playoffs? Yep the Sens went out and got Martin Gerber....real Canadian boy there.

Message to Canadian hockey fan....and particular Leaf fan in Southern Ontario. You NEVER root for a hated arch rival, especially not in the postseason! Does Yankee fan root for the Red Sox against the Jays??? NO!!!!!

Go to a Jays game at SkyDome when the Yanks or Sox are in town. Do you think the visiting team's fans there are simply there to cheer against the Jays since they play on Canadian soil! No, it's simply their favorite team.

Listen, I get the whole complex that Canadian fans may have about us and that a team on their soil winning the championship in "their sport" means plenty(way too much). But hey, baseball is America's pastime and basketball is the one game that is played the world over that Americans dominate, but we sure as heck didn't slap high fives when the Raptors were eliminated from the NBA playoffs last week nor do we snicker when the Jays come up short year in and year out.

Message to Canadian hockey fans....save your patriotism for international competitions....the Olympics, World Cup, World Championships. It has no place in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Baseball is back in Niagara Falls

2007-05-08T22:50:00.000-05:00

We have been told that Sal Maglie Stadium has gotten a really nice facelift, and this season will be the host venue for a NEW baseball team... the Niagara Power of the New York Collegiate Baseball League. Their season begins on Friday June 8.

Tim Schmitt at the Niagara Gazette gives us the poop with today's article.

Here's another bulletin... Peter grew up cheering for his dear Elmira Pioneers at beautiful historic Dunn Field in Elmira, his childhood team which once played at AA, then in the NY-Penn League, before going into the Independent Northern League. That team is also long gone, but the current version of the Pioneers now play in the NYCBL.

Hmm...I'm checking the schedule and I don't have to look far.. Elmira Pioneers at Niagara Power, Sunday, June 10 at 7PM. Got the calendar already circled...and if you do go on that date and see some shirtless guy in the stands wearing a Davy Crockett style hat, his face painted in Pioneers blue and gray, and "GO PIOS" emblazoned on his chest, stop on by and say "Hi Peter!"

So just move the games to Buffalo!

2007-05-07T21:29:00.000-05:00

Last year it was the appearance of "Dora The Explorer" which threatened to disrupt the playoff game schedule between the Buffalo Sabres and the Ottawa Senators.

This year, it's the possibility of a strike by 61 Scotiabank Place operations employees, and according to this report in the Ottawa Sun, such a walkout could really mess things up as the teams prepare to do battle in Ottawa next week.

Round 3 game tickets can be had... at Scotiabank Place

2007-05-06T23:09:00.000-05:00

We all know the ticket situation here in Buffalo... with a season ticket base now capped at 14,800, few "additionals" available to season ticket holders, and no window sales, the single ticket buyer has had to scramble to find their way into HSBC Arena.
"Window prices", which is a bit of a misnomer, has tickets for round 3 starting at $90 and climbing to $250 for 100 level sidelines and clubs.

But the situation in Ottawa is far different. While the Senators have sold out all their playoff games this postseason, it has been a relatively easy ticket, and tickets for game 4 against New Jersey were available to walk up customers the day of the game.

Check out the pricing chart on the Ottawa Senators website. Tickets run from $86.21 - $217.24 (prices in Canadian dollars which these days doesn't mean much). They go onsale Monday at 10 AM. It's a 330 mile hop to Kanata... hope Sabres fans are paying attention and jump on these seats! Because you know damn well that the Ians and Brents and Trevors from Welland and Stevensville are going to be in our building this week cheering on their *harumph* beloved Sens.

I watched almost the entire game at WNYM headquarters on Elmwood and got to enjoy seeing firsthand all the "open thread" comments coming in on Bfloblog. Peter couldn't make it down but joined us on the thread as well. It was a kickass time!

Our weekly series on cool media folks - Meet Dan Hickling

2007-05-06T20:40:00.000-05:00

How would you like a sports writing job that takes you tens of thousands of miles across the Northeast each year? To minor league and junior hockey venues, minor league baseball, NHL and other events? For Buffalo native Dan Hickling, this is indeed his assignment, and he has become an institution in media rooms across the sports spectrum.

Dan now lives with his beautiful wife Deb outside of Portland, Maine, is the 9th generation of "Dan Hicklings" and is known as "Dan the 9th". His newest grandson, "Dan the 11th" was born a few years back.

As a sportswriter, his primary gig is with the Providence Journal, where he covers the Boston Bruins, Providence Bruins and Pawtucket Red Sox. He also free lances for many other publications and websites, and it is that work that takes him on the road for roughly half the year, and that includes regular visits here to Dunn Tire Park, as well as to Sabres gmes when the Bruins come to town.

Dan might no longer live in WNY, but his sports heart is with our teams here. Back in 2004, he predicted the Bisons would win the IL North by ten games and go on to win the Governors Cup. They did just that. He is unashamedly a Sabres fan and follows the team closely from afar.

As we have traveled across the region, Dan has often offered us his advice and material support to assist us in our journeys... everything from who to talk to to get credentials/interviews etc... to where the best media food is... he has introduced us to more than a few media celebrity types. In 2004 we attended the AHL All Star Game in Manchester NH, and as we're talking with Dan and running down our itinerary, which included a Providence Friars basketball game at the Dunkin Donuts Center, Dan said "what do you mean you guys don't have press passes for that!? Call so and so, better yet, email him and mention my name and he'll take care of you!" So we email this guy, mention Dan's name, and sure enough, there were two press credentials at the door for the game, and one of the most awesome media spreads we've ever enjoyed on the USRT!

Dan loves his work... and everyone who knows Dan loves the guy. Having a good friend like him is what makes doing this all so worthwhile. Still left on the USRT "to do" list is a AA Portland Seadogs game. We're hoping that once we do get up there, we catch "pesto night at the Hicklings." Deb will then have to set two extra places at their dinner table, because we are crashing!

Holy crap!!!!!!

2007-05-05T20:29:00.000-05:00

How's this for a line score...

Pawtucket 3 1 2 2 0 0 0 1 5 / 14 / 12 / 4

Buffalo..... 0 0 5 0 1 0 0 0 9 / 15 / 17 / 2

The Bisons plate NINE RUNS in the bottom of the 9th to steal this one. A walkoff base on balls with the bases loaded seals the deal. Final score... Buffalo 15, Pawtucket 14 at Dunn Tire Park.

With the pitching staff stretched thin, infielder Trent Durrington came in to pitch in the top of the 9th, recording one out to end the inning. For his effort he earns the win, the first position player to accomplish such a feat for Buffalo since Chris Coste did it in 2002. This also ties a Bisons modern era record for the greatest comeback ever by the team.

More baseball to come... this is a doubleheader and the second game will go 7 innings.

11:45PM update... Bisons take nightcap by a score of 5-0, and now lead the IL North by 1/2 game. With Torey Lovullo tending to family matters, Coach Dave Myers led the team tonight and admitted that he hadn't called the boss yet to share the news. "He's going to know soon enough he's going to have to call this in" said a smiling Myers. The Bisons sent 13 batters to the plate in the 9th inning, resulting in five hits, three walks, a hit batter, and three Pawtucket fielding errors.

"We need a little hatred"

2007-05-05T18:56:00.000-05:00

Yes it's early, and yes there's still a lot of baseball to be played this season, but as the calendar flips to May, it is the Buffalo Bisons and the Rochester Red Wings battling out for supremacy in the International League North. If the season ended today, the two teams would meet in the first round of the playoffs, with Buffalo as the wild card team.

The two ball clubs share a friendly rivalry, their fans exchange friendly banter through the "Thruway Cup" competition, but such was not always the case. Buffalo and Rochester held an intense and heated rivalry for decades... in 1933 the teams faced each other in a deciding game at Offerman Stadium before a packed and overflow crowd, a game won by Buffalo 8-1 and a night referred to as "The night the Great Depression stood still". In 1959 Bisons fans were horrified to learn that team icon Luke Easter had been released after a slow start that season. A week later he signed with the Red Wings, and played and managed for several seasons in Rochester, where he became a fan favorite and an oft Bison killer. In 1961 the team moved to the Old Rockpile, and the Kirby Farrell managed team defeated the Red Wings in the Governors Cup championship. It was unfortunate that Buffalo was out of baseball in the 70s, arguably the golden era for Rochester baseball. The teams resumed their rivalry when the Bisons entered the "AAA Alliance" in 1988, and fans packed Pilot Field in May to see these two teams meet for the first time in almost two decades.

Last year Red Wings GM Dan Mason and I talked about this legacy and history, and I asked him what could be done to really reignite that passion and rivalry like it was in the old days. "We need a little hatred" replied Mason. One of the best tonics, said Mason, would be for the clubs to face each other in the playoffs. Unfortunately, because of the IL's arcane playoff format, these two teams could never meet in the finals, but a first round matchup always remains a possibility.

Buffalo and Rochester play for the first time next weekend - Friday and Saturday at Dunn Tire Park, then on to Frontier Field Sunday and Monday, and first place in the division will be at stake. So enough of fluffy mascots, hugs and warm and fuzzy feelings between these two cities. Time to talk trash and show some ugliness. Somewhere, the spirits of Luke Easter, George Toporcer, Kirby Farrell and Danny Carnevale would be nodding their heads in approval!

Rochester Knighthawks give up home field

2007-05-05T18:04:00.000-05:00

News from earlier this week which we picked up last night at the arena...

They were the best team in the National Lacrosse League this past season, winning their last 12 regular season games to end the season at 14-2. Then they won two straight playoff games, including a 14-13 thriller over the Buffalo Bandits last weekend at Blue Cross Arena.

For the league championship, the Rochester Knighthawks will face the 9-7 Arizona Sting, winner of the West.

And they will do it on the road, Saturday, May 12 at 4PM at Jobing.com Arena in Glendale, Arizona.

This all comes about because the brain surgeons and Rhodes scholars who run Blue Cross Arena in Rochester booked the facility for the entire week for a traveling circus. The Knighthawks then tried to move the date to Monday, but the event is scheduled for national television on Versus and has been slotted since last summer. Undaunted, Knighthawks owner Steve Donner then petitioned the league to move the game close to home, to HSBC Arena in Buffalo or the Air Canada Centre in Toronto. The Board of Governors refused.

"It's frustrating because we picked this date about 11 months ago," said NLL commissioner Jim Jennings.

"Every building knew it, every building cleared it. We have major league buildings that have NHL, NBA, and arena football and they were able to clear the date, so it is frustrating."

Last year the Rochester team lost to Buffalo in the semifinals. Had they won that game, THEY would have had the right to host Colorado in the Champions' Cup game. Incredibly...Blue Cross Arena was booked for that day as well - they would have had to play that game on the road.

GAME 5: Sabres 2, Rangers 1 OT

2007-05-04T23:52:00.000-05:00

On the plaza before the game...

Welcome back The Earl of Bud!!!

It was over....all over. Just 16 seconds remained and then the Sabres would head to New York to face their elimination on Sunday.

At least that's what about 95% or so of me was thinking before that fateful faceoff.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Drury on the ice and thought "you know....maybe."

And then it happened, Drury nailed the tying goal with seven seconds left and in that instant the agony of defeat became the thrill of...ummm....well....extra time. The shock and devastation of the Rangers late third period goal changed to outright euphoria. Much as I love Rick Jennaret, Van Miller's "Fandemonium" call would have been at least as appropriate for that moment.

And "Fandemonium" would strike in the overtime as well when Maxim Afinogenov, he who was relegated to the bench in game four tipped in the game winner to send HSBC Arena into a frenzy and the Sabres into control of this series with a 3-2 series lead. This could easily be called the most electric moment in this postseason, and the crowd replied by practically blowing the roof open.

A loss by the Sabres would have been devastating not just from the standpoint of falling behind in the series but also from the fact that this was their best effort of the round, if not the entire postseason. Buffalo peppered Henrik Lundqvist with forty shots in this one and from the second period on owned this one but couldn't solve the Swedish netminder. And when the Rangers went up with under four minutes left....well one could feel the game, and maybe the season slipping away.

"I knew that there wasn't much time left.....didn't know seven seconds" said Drury when asked about the game tying goal for Buffalo.

A beaming Max told the press, "This was the best goal of my career." Lindy Ruff added, "He got the biggest hug from me on the runway.... Max was himself tonight. He was the old Max and that is what we needed.

Paul Gaustad got his licks and hits in early and was happy to be playing tonight, although he seemed to tire in the late stages, which wouldn't be unusual. Would they have been toast if they had lost tonight? Said Gaustad, "Had we lost we felt we could pick right up and take it to them in game 6. But now we have the chance to put this one away"

Random stuff from tonight.....

Jerseys spotted in the crowd: Drury's BU, Stafford's ND, and Max's Team Russia in the house tonight. The winner is the Lydman Team Finland jersey though.

Game 5! Featuring special guest star.....The Earl of Bud! What a great moment as the Earl made an all too rare appearance in tonight's game and brought the house down with his epic rendition of "Tequila".....could have sworn the dude was dead or something.

Crowd estimate in the Party In The Plaza..about 4500 on a perfect spring night in Buffalo.

As reported to me by Andrew, spotted leaving his seats and exiting the arena with 16.7 seconds left: NYS Senator Bill Stachowski (D-Cheektowaga) and his companion. Hey Billy, hope you at least had the radio on in your car! And "ha-ha" to any of you morons who left the building during the timeout!

So Sunday it is Buffalo's turn to ride into Manhattan on Cloud Nine...puck drops on the MSG slush at 2PM.

Reporting in from the Sabres morning skate

2007-05-04T13:11:00.000-05:00

The big attention this morning was on Paul Gaustad, who was the first guy on the ice for what turned out to be an optional skate for the Sabres. Thirteen players, including all the reservists and both goaltenders, participated. Interestingly, a second "morning skate" was on tap for 1PM, as Amerks coach Randy Cunneyworth was bringing his 11 Amerks callups onto the HSBC Arena ice surface to do their paces.

Gaustad was not officially informed that he would be in the lineup tonight, but all indications said that it would be him in the lineup and Drew Stafford out. "This is one of the most exciting games I've ever played in" said Gaustad. "I am looking forward to it."

Does the fact that this is the first time in over a year that the ENTIRE Sabres lineup is intact give the team a psychological boost? Gaustad replied,"I hope it's a boost. I think it's pretty huge for us."

Lindy Ruff was told that Gaustad is excited to be coming back, and he replied. "He'd better be. It's a great time to be excited."
Ruff admitted he was disappointed in the effort in Game 4 and is looking for his team to play their game and generate more scoring chances.

One side story..great watching the media throng looking for somebody...anybody...in the Sabres locker room for a sound bite. I counted 39 reporters and camerapeople all milling about, and scant few players to talk to. Kind of hlarious actually!

Pete has the AV pressbox seat tonight... I will be in our seats in sec 114, and Pete's brother John and John's bud will be driving up from Rochester and joining us as well. Let's keep our fingers crossed... Better Days!

Those snazzy Sabres tickets...

2007-05-03T19:20:00.000-05:00

For years and years season ticket holders got their playoff tickets in the mail, and they were the typical, computer spit out dreck which looked like this...

So wasn't I surprised to open my Priority Mail envelope from One Seymour Knox III Plaza yesterday, the package which contained our Round 3 and Round 4 playoff tickets, only to find these beautiful works of art...

If I had known what was inside, I would have tried to recreate that moment from the movie Fever Pitch. The scene where Jimmy Fallon with great pomp and ceremony opens up the Fedex package from the Red Sox containing his precious season tickets is hilarious! And something every die hard fan can identify with.

This week in Artvoice

2007-05-03T07:07:00.000-05:00

"Giddy-Up Guys!"

This week's Puck Stop. Check it out!

The Stanley Cup comes to Kandahar

2007-05-02T20:00:00.000-05:00

Why is it, that I see a clip on Hockey Night in Canada with the Canadian troops in Afghanistan holding up the Stanley Cup, I get all choked up? Yet when I see pictures of American soldiers in Baghdad on the Jumbotron at the arena, the bile rises to my throat.

When the CBC segment was over, I thought about this for a while and then it occurred to me that it has nothing to do with the troops or being pro military or being a peacenik.

Our cause in Afghanistan is just - the cradle of planning for 9-11; the home of the Taliban; the terrorists who were at the heart of Al-Qaeda; the hiding place for Bin Laden and Al-Zawahiri. Our work there is to go after the scum suckers who came after us, and I applaud our efforts.

But Iraq? This was Bush avenging "his daddy"; Halliburton and petro dollars and the stench of everything that is morally wrong and it is a cause I despise. Saddam was a scumbag, but he was our scumbag. Now we have a broken country, horrific sectarian violence and the real scary people in that region, the fundamentalist Iranians, are getting the upper hand. Mega billions of dollars squandered; thousands dead, and no end to this in sight.

God Bless and protect our servicepeople - American and Canadian. They are making a sacrifice for us that is something I can't even imagine .

Goal or No Goal? Different takes from VS and TSN

2007-05-02T18:30:00.000-05:00

We're not going to break down last night's game and repeat some of the same analyses offered up by Bfloblog and the other linked capable bloggers, who have offered some excellent points and observations.

Pete and I watched the game separately at our homes, hooked in to each other via AIM, and following the game we were on deadline to have our column into Artvoice for this Thursday's edition, so there was work to be done.

I was watching the game on TSN (yes I get that channel at my home in Cheektowaga); Pete was watching on VS via Time Warner Cable.

When Briere seemingly scored the game tying goal with 17 seconds to go, the commentators on TSN were calling it a goal while the review was going on. "It's a goal. There is no way that could not have crossed the line it's simple geometry" said their color commentator. I'm typing furiously to Peter --- "Hey Bro... we're going to ohhhhhh-ver-time!".

"Not so fast" Peter replied. Over at VS, they were calling the replay "inconclusive". I'm not sure if VS showed that real grainy close up, but over at TSN they had that enhanced shot up, and the commentator was circling the puck on the telestrator and drawing the angle of the camera, stating that if the camera had been directly over the goal, the small swath of white between the puck and the goal line would be clearly visible.

So here at my house in Cheektowaga it was premature jubilation; over at Peter's in North Buffalo - quiet resignation. A minute later the referee made it official with the "no goal" gesture. This series would come back to Buffalo tied at two.

Crosstown rivalry alive and well in the Big Apple

2007-05-01T20:01:00.000-05:00

And now this rivalry is taking shape with a new twist, as both the New York Yankees and the New York Mets have their new ballpark plans well underway and both teams are projecting a 2009 opening for their new digs.

In today's New York Times, we get the latest on the progress of Citifield and the New Yankee Stadium.

Downtown Buffalo at night

2007-04-30T21:53:00.000-05:00

The Electric Building on Roosevelt Square, crowned in Sabres blue and gold at night. One Team - One Goal... this entire city is living life vicariously right now through the fortunes of our hockey team.

Artvoice "Best Of Buffalo"

2007-04-30T21:38:00.000-05:00

Pete and Artvoice publisher Jamie Moses grinning ear to ear at the "Best of Buffalo" party

Tonight we headed to the Town Ballroom downtown for the annual "Best of Buffalo" bash sponsored by Artvoice. For the past two months, our readers have been voting online and via paper ballots for their best picks in all sorts of categories... restaurants, bars, eateires, politicians, celebrities, events, just about everything. So tonight the winners were announced, with a back drop of musical entertainment, libations and complimentary food samples.

The good news: the place was jammed wall to wall with revelers, contestants, fabulous drag queens and assorted bon vivants wanting to be part of the action. The bad news: twice the people and half the food from past years. So we said "hi" to some people we know, chatted around a bit, had a drink, did the photo opp with the Big Boss, and headed out to Casa Di Pizza with uber-blogger and cool new friend Nathan Strang to share a large c&p pie and watch the Devils/Sens game.

Congrats to all the winners - they will be listed in this Thursday's edition of Artvoice.

An update on Cisco Field in Oakland

2007-04-30T15:00:00.000-05:00

The more we look at the plans for the proposed new ballpark for the Oakland Athletics, the more excited we get. Imagine an intimate 32,000 seat venue with state of the art technological enhancements.

Says A's owner Lew Wolff, "In the batter's-eye area in center field, that will open up into a public park where fans can look into the stadium before the game and watch batting practice. At game time, the area will close up and we'll provide either a feed of the game if it's sold out or a movie for people to enjoy. The area will also open up to our version of Yawkey Way, about a half-million square feet of shopping areas."

Cisco Field will provide a cellphone system fans can use to purchase tickets and upgrade them on game day. There will be digital signs everywhere and embedded cameras around the ballpark to promote amenities and goings on. "If we have a surplus of hot dogs, we'll use our digital signs to reduce the price so we can get rid of them," he said.

The other thing is, you'll be able to literally live at the ballpark.

The Baseball Village will include 3,000 townhouses of various styles and prices ("We'll even let non-baseball fans buy them," said Wolff). Income from the residential portion of the project will help pay for the ballpark, which is expected to cost $400-$500 million, not including the land.

The ballpark will be cozy, with comfortable sight lines, little foul territory, and the feeling of being on top of the field, an idea Wolff proudly says was stolen from the Red Sox and Cubs but with the benefit of modern architecture. "It will be a complete departure from what we have now at the Coliseum," Wolff said. "Our pitchers are good. They'll have to be even better."

Complete information on Cisco Field including renderings are on the team's website.

Blogging stuff in the news

2007-04-29T21:13:00.000-05:00

Jim Fink of Buffalo Business First talked to us earlier this week about the explosion of fan websites and blogging, and the article runs in this week's print edition of Business First. Our comments appear in the article. Here's the online link.

Stephen Watson of the Buffalo News wrote this feature article which deals with the growth of online fan sites and focuses in on Bfloblog in particular. Our congratulations to Mark and Kevin as well as all their loyal followers and linked sports sites for an excellent piece and well deserved coverage.

In the "small world" category: Kevin Hosey, who is pictured in the article as a regular blog poster, was once upon a time Editor of the Cheektowaga Bee. And I, once upon a time, was a Cheektowaga Councilman. So basically he "covered" me and my Board when I was there and he was the consummate professional journalist. I had some rough personal patches early on in my stint in office and Kevin treated me with fairness and concern rather than just beating up on me like some other media outlets were doing. I will always be grateful to him for that. So a big "shout out" to "KJHosey"!

Quick thought on today's game...since I missed parts of it as did Peter. Take the fact that it took the Rangers almost 5 periods to put away the Sabres in their own building in a game they desperately had to win. I think that bodes well for us, no?
I said Sabres in five before this began... I am sticking to it.

Random thoughts on the NBA playoffs.....

2007-04-29T21:10:00.000-05:00

Been watching as much of the NBA playoffs as possible between NHL games as possible(dammit, when's that new HDTV coming in!)....and just chiming in with a few rambling observations.

Place to be as a fan: Oakland. The Oracle Arena witnessed its first postseason game in thirteen years and the fans in the joint treated it like a Finals game. The Warriors responded to the fandemonium by annihilating the top seeded Mavs 109-91.

Worst title defense in recent memory: Miami goes out with a whimper in a four game sweep. I didn't catch much of this one, I'm glad.

Ummm....D-Wade, maybe getting that shoulder fixed should have been a higher priority.

Sucks to be a fan of: any NBA team in the state of Florida. 0 for 8, OUCH!

Not yet ready for prime time award goes to: The Toronto Raptors. I really like what's being built up north and there's a nice young core in TJ Ford, Andrea Bargnani and Chris Bosh. But Kidd, Carter, and Jefferson they ain't. They need another year or so to develop....

Kobe won a postseason game this season. Wonder if he feels like he put one over on Shaq, who got swept this season.

AI....7 for 20, throwing up a few prayers in game three.....sigh.....a lepoard's skin never changes.

Can we just end the Cavs/Wizards series now??

And I still have nothing to say about the Jazz/Rockets series. Maybe later. (Going off topic here...but where can I get my AH YOU jersey at??)

"Chacarron Macarron!"

2007-04-29T16:03:00.000-05:00

Andy Marte is back in Buffalo, sent down from the parent Cleveland Indians on a rehabilitation assignment. Last season, Marte played in 96 games for the Bisons and hit .261 (93-357) with 23 doubles, 15 home runs and 46 RBI.

The Bisons return from their road trip this Saturday, and it looks like we'll be grooving to the beat of the Chacarron once again at Dunn Tire Park!

Our weekly series on cool media folks - Meet Mike Haim

2007-04-29T10:38:00.000-05:00

If you ever have the good fortune to step into a big league pressbox around these parts, chances are you will run into Mike Haim. But you won't often see Mike's name in a newspaper byline or up in lights, for he is one of these media guys who does much of his work behind the scenes, and he does it well.

What are some of Mike's assignments? He covers games for Associated Press; He covers games for Sports Ticker; He freelances for several area publications; He is a member of the statistics crew at Buffalo Bills games. Want more? He even picks up writing assignments from time to time for visiting clubs who face the Buffalo Bisons. And at Bisons and Sabres games, while most of the local media contingent goes en masse to the home team dressing room, you will find Mike sauntering over to the visiting club for postgame interviews and comments, because that's the job he usually gets to do.

Mike got his first taste of all this media stuff as a kid attending games of the NBA Buffalo Braves. "I would find a way to sneak down to the scorers table and media row after games and collect press notes and media guides. Everntually they just kind of knew me down there and I was in" Mike recalls.

Fast forward to the present and the "new kid" is sneaking into the pressbox, as Mike brings his young son Marshall to Bisons games from time to time, and one can predict that it will just be a matter of time before the next generation of Haims joins the media contingent.

Mike has always been a big fan and supporter of the USRT, soaking in the stories of our travel adventures. We too like listening to Mike's stories, the people he has met, the articles he has written, the experiences he has encountered while doing what he does. We tip our hat to a good friend and colleague!

Go away Ronan Tynan!

2007-04-28T08:55:00.000-05:00

Peter posted on this topic yesterday but I've got my own thoughts and here they are...

The Sabres have formed quite a bond with the “Irish Tenor”, and the story of his return to Buffalo was front page headlines in the Buffalo News.

I’m not buying into it…and it has nothing to do with Tynan.

I grew up hating the Irving Berlin spiritual “God Bless America”. My memories as a teenager was watching that Dead Fat Woman in Philadelphia step out onto the ice at the Spectrum and croak out that song. And that was it. Game over. Flyers win. The Flyers always won.

A generation later, this song holds a much more bitter meaning for me. The Bushies and the Cheneys and the Halliburtons just love to truck out this song whenever the temperature gets too hot wtih criticism of their Iraq misadventure… forget about the half trillion dollars (and counting) for their fucking war, forget about the 3300 (and counting) dead soldiers. Let us sing to the heavens... let our spirits soar... and together we feel so good and all is well with the world! UGH!

As for last night, I could write you the same sorry story… Tynan sings the song, the Jumbotron displays photos of soldiers, dressed in their desert khakis and holding their rifles, sitting on their tanks and displaying their missiles and other instruments of death.

As I look around the seating bowl and see happy children eating their popcorn and cotton candy, my thoughts turned to other children who might not be smiling. I ask, how many Iraqi children had their homes and villages flattened from those very same tanks we’re viewing in those pictures? How many Iraqi children are orphaned from that same missile battery we saw on the screen last night?

The results of the Tynan show was predictable – a collective orgasm from the crowd. Nothing like images of soldiers and armies and war to get a sports audience going.

What did I do? I did what I always do in sports venues when they play the Dead Fat Woman’s song. I took a seat. Hey, I’ll stand for the Star Spangled Banner and sing loud and proud anytime. But I will not pay homage to that piece of propaganda bullshit.

If you don’t like my take on all this, then go ahead and let me have it. I’ve sat my ass down through many a 7th inning stretch and gotten an earful from people around me. I held my ground then. I’m not about to back down now.

GAME 2: Sabres 3, Rangers 2

2007-04-27T23:56:00.000-05:00

Giddy-up guys!

For two periods, the Buffalo Sabres played like they were doped up, managing just nine shots on goal and thanks to some very solid play in net by Ryan Miller, they were kept in the game, staring at only a 2-1 deficit after two periods.

Giddy-up guys!

When the third period started, everything changed. Buffalo got an early goal, a Chris Drury tip in on a perfect pass from Toni Lydman. A few minutes later Thomas Vanek jammed in the game winner, after setting up a perfect pass to Campbell on the point and then crashing the net to bury it.

From there the Sabres put on the burners…wave after wave of attacks which had the crowd up on its feet time and time again.

But the real drama was in the last two minutes, as Buffalo was called with a penalty with 1:48 to go. The Rangers pulled their goaltender, giving them a two skater advantage, and from there it was heart in your throat time and gut check time. “I really wasn’t all that panicked” said Ryan Miller after the game. “I didn’t get to see the call on Briere but I certainly did see Avery punching Briere in the face after the whistle and that wasn’t called.”

Buffalo did a bang up job clearing the puck during that last minute, and the officials missed a seeming offsides call with 10 seconds that had Lindy Ruff steaming afterwards. Even the Rangers attackers held up expecting a whistle but none was called. Ruff was awarded a gross misconduct penalty at the end of the game for his bottle throwing rant.

So what happened in the locker room between the second and third periods? Brian Campbell replies "We just needed to get the puck in front of the net more and create scoring chances. We all talked about it and that quick goal early on so totally lifted the entire bench."

On my pedestal - what more can you say aboout Dainius Zubrus? Again he threw his body around, forechecked with total abandon, played puck control in the attack zone and delivered punishing hit after hit. If the Sabres advance and end up playing Ottawa, the Sens will have a handful to deal with and a force they didn't see in Buffalo when the teams last played.

In my doghouse.. Max Mr. Giveaway Afinogenov and the fact that you didn't see him on the third speaks volumes. Oh.. and yoo hoo, Jochen!!! Feel free to show up some night.

Lastly, props to Ryan Miller for not only his stellar play tonight, but not getting sucked in to a war of words with the Rangers. When told that Jagr had remarked "They probably think it's over," Miller calmly replied that the Rangers deserve every bit of respect and that this is only one game.

So on to the Big Apple it is for a Sunday afternoon game on NBC. Score early..take the crowd out of it.. show why you're such a great road team. Can't wait!!!

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

2007-04-27T16:03:00.000-05:00

Do not let this man sing prior to game time tonight!!!!!

Listen, nothing personal against the guy, he's a great story about overcoming obstacles in life. But part of the lore of the playoffs is superstition and traditions.
Playoff beards-in.
Stepping on every crack in the sidewalk - in.
Tossing an octopus on the ice prior to game time - in.
Keeping every routine thing the same...where you watch the game....what you wear....in.
Having the same person sing the anthems prior to every game - in!

Oh by the way, Ronan is 0-1 in the postseason singing "GBA"...if the Sabs lose tonight, let's hope it's the last time they bring him in to sing during the playoffs. Too much is at stake.

Morning skate stuff.....

2007-04-27T13:00:00.000-05:00

I finally have a day off from my real job that coincides with a morning skate, so off I went!!!

I notice that the media contingent is beginning to swell with more of a national presence from up north and the Ranger media as well. Despite basically carrying the same market there appears to be a larger contingent of Ranger media than Islander media.

All the Sabres who took the day off yesterday(Stafford, Lydman, Campbell, and Connolly) were up and skating today. In his comments Coach Ruff stated that"all will be able to play tonight" and that "if we play to our strengths, it's our best hockey".

Coach also was asked about advice on being shorthanded(concerning Roszival) and answered" to concentrate on who you have and not who you don't."

The word is similar coming from the Ranger dressing room concerning Michal Roszival, he was skating during the Ranger warmups this morning and while Coach Renney wouldn't tip his hand he did say Roszival "look good and felt good" and didn't rule out dressing seven defensemen for tonight.....

Sean Avery was a bit low keyed answering questions saying that the team has to concentrate on doing the little things needed to win a game. But Avery being who he is found time to pop off at a local reporter(initials AB) for asking what he perceived to be "a stupid question".

Gee Sean, maybe you ought to "hold the throttle back" as the reporter said. You did find the box twice and had a -3 on the night.

Other things of note....

The playoff beards in the Sabre locker room are starting to take shape, about all the players are in on it though I noticed that Tim Connolly is maintaining the sahved head look and the matching shaved face to go with it. Assistant PR guys Chris Bandura and Rob Crean seem to be in on the act as well.

Newsday columnist Mark Hermann has been taking some good natured ribbing about his presence as guest columnist in the News for the past two-three weeks. One person joked about him being hired full time on the Buffalo News staff....after a certain blogger asked him about whether he covers the Devils too, he joked that he already had a house up here....seems like a good guy. And a far better columnist than that Ned Barnett in Raleigh....

Entering the city on the 33......

2007-04-26T18:38:00.000-05:00

Does there need be any more proof of the existence of Sabre fever...

Beer is back on the Plaza!

2007-04-26T15:15:00.000-05:00

Last night at HSBC Arena the "Party In The Plaza" went dry.

And the crowd was noticably smaller.

Well, the beer is back! News release just hit my email box from Kevin Snow at the Sabres...

SABRES TO MAKE BEER AVAILABLE AT “Party in the Plaza” PRE-GAME PARTIES

BUFFALO, NY (April 26, 2007) --- The Buffalo Sabres announced today they will once again make beer available for sale at the “Party in the Plaza” pre-game parties before each home playoff game. There will now be a limit of three beers per person for the duration of the event each night.

In addition, the Maid of the Mist has made rain ponchos available -- in the event of inclement weather -- to the fans in attendance who will be outside watching the game on the video monitor.

The festivities begin at 4:30 p.m. outside HSBC Arena in the Plaza area located near Perry and Illinois St. where fans can enjoy live music from Juxtaposse. There will also be appearances from Buffalo Sabres Alumni and Sabretooth, as well as a 12' by 9' video monitor where fans will be able to watch a live Jumbotron feed of the game.

Fans should also be reminded that the event has been expanded, as Perry Street will be closed from Washington St. to Illinois St. by 4:30 p.m. to allow families to enjoy the festivities. Fans driving to HSBC Arena should plan alternate routes to account for the street closings.

The parties will take place rain or shine with free admission, as a game ticket will not be required for entrance to the party.

This week in Artvoice

2007-04-26T07:12:00.000-05:00

"Should We Be Scared?"

This week's Puck Stop. Check it out!

GAME 1: Sabres 5, Rangers 2

2007-04-25T23:05:00.000-05:00

Was it me, or did it seem that the postseason REALLY got underway tonight?

The Sabres used a three goal burst late in the second period to propel them to a 5-2 win over the Rangers. Thomas Vanek picked up a pair of goals. Pominville and Kotalik each added one a piece and Drew Stafford added an empty netter to finish off the Sabres scoring.

The Rangers came out and held their own in the first ten to fifteen minutes of play using a physical style of play to keep Buffalo in check. After that the Sabres seemed to turn on the jets as rush after rush of attacks came down the ice for Buffalo. Only some stellar play by Henrik Lundqvist kept the game scoreless in the first.

It was more of the same until Vanek finally broke through with just under six minutes left in the second, and soon after it was like the dam had burst as Kotalik would add his and Vanek would strike again all within a four minute span.

The Sabres pretty much had the game iced thanks not to a fourth goal but from killing off a five on three power play that ended with about eleven minutes to go. Taro lit the cigar at that point.....

Sean Avery yapped about how he was going to hurt Sabre players....Game 1 stats: eighteen minutes on the ice, four minutes in the box, minus three rating for the night. Thanks for the assistance Sean!

In the postgame the Rangers lamented the fact that they gave the Sabres many power play opportunities. Brendan Shanahan said that " I liked the way we started for the first ten minutes....then we gave them the momentum...we put them on the power play time after time and we kinda let their offensive players get into the game.."

Toni Lydman seemed upbeat after a night of chasing around Jagr but noted the difficulties in that task:"Jagr is tough to defend against. We try our hardest to stop him but he has size and strength. We need to work on that more but we have so much confidence with Ryan backing us up it makes our job easier."

Hey Drew you just nabbed the empty netter, how'd it feel? "I was down on the ice and I could see the refs arm up and a penalty being called. Next thing you know the crowd is roaring. I never saw the puck actually go in the net."

(And I'm sure they practice the dragged-down-on-the-ice-while-shooting-puck-into-the-net-play EVERY DAY in practice.)

Other thoughts, useless or not.....

The Sabres five goal outburst is one shy of the entire series output of the Atlanta Thrashers in the first round....Jaromir...I don't think we're in Atlanta anymore...

Unique fan jersey of the night: A Tretiak USSR jersey spotted in the 300's.

The walk down Washington Street to the arena featured a new dot matrix board in front of Dunn Tire Park, I then looked to my right and saw a countdown to the Cup mural at the top floor of the City Grill building.

Also wondering if it was the weather or the lack of alcoholic beverages that kept the size of the crowd down in the plaza tonight.

The new marquee is up and running in front of the ballpark

Check out the countdown in the windows at this office building on Main and Swan. (Click on photo to enlarge and get a better look)

Ontario Hockey League footprint heading towards WNY

2007-04-25T13:24:00.000-05:00

The ongoing saga of the OHL Mississauga Ice Dogs has now been resolved.

The Toronto St. Michaels Majors are moving into the Hershey Centre in Mississauga, the Ice Dogs were sold and told to vacate, and the buzz had them going into a new arena in Niagara Falls, Ontario, until their city council gave the team a big middle finger.

So the team has been scrambling for a new home, and today the announcement came that they have found one... St. Catharines Ontario, where they will be known as the Niagara Ice Dogs and will play at the 2800 seat Jack Gatecliff Arena. The city will spend $250,000 for upgrades to the facility. There are no current plans for a new arena, although several OHL franchises have rolled out gleaming new venues in recent years, including such cities as London and Oshawa, with Kingston and Windsor set to open new arenas soon.

More from the St. Catharines Standard.

We have visited a number of OHL cities on the USRT, and have loved the rinks, the atmosphere, the Canadian brews and the quality of play. A quick hop to St. Catharines this fall is a complete no brainer!

Big props to Kevin Jordan at OHL Arena Guide for giving us the heads up on this.

Things still low tech at HP Pavilion

2007-04-24T20:34:00.000-05:00

Take the drive down from San Francisco to San Jose, and you will pass the gleaming headquarters and towers of every familiar high tech company known to man... Cisco, Oracle, just about every dot com comany. Even in downtown San Jose, the first logo you see outside the arena at the top of the nearest skyscraper is that of Adobe Systems.

So why is it then, that you step into the shiny HP Pavilion at San Jose, home of the NHL San Jose Sharks, and find only the most rudimentary and basic scorebaord and signage? Here, in the epicenter of technology, one would think that this venue would be the marker and example for the newest and most dazzling high tech fan amenities.

And indeed, all that is about to change, as it looks now that the city will be spending a whopping $16.5 million on sophisticated technological upgrades, and as this article in the San Jose Mercury News states, these are improvements that have been bandied about for years.

In Edmonton, the debate for a new arena

2007-04-23T21:12:00.000-05:00

Mayor Stephen Mandel of Edmonton wants a spanking new arena built in downtown Edmonton for the NHL Edmonton Oilers. "Not so fast" say members of the City Council, who want no part of heavy public subsidies.

The mayor is appointing a new panel to come up with recommendations. Meantime, the Oilers continue to play at the old school Rexall Place, with a lease in place that runs through 2014.

More from the Edmonton Journal

B-O-X! B-O-X!... Bandits in playoff action

2007-04-22T17:20:00.000-05:00

Yet another cool sports weekend downtown ends at HSBC Arena this afternoon. I got a chance to cover the Bandits game as part of our "Puck Stop" column in Artvoice. Here's a game recap...

The Buffalo Bandits hosted the Minnesota Swarm this afternoon in the first round of National Lacrosse League playoff action.

After the first six minutes of the game, Annoying Screeching P.A. Guy had to have a big yellow puddle under his chair, as the Swarm took an early 4-0 lead on just 5 shots and the situation was dire for the Bandits. Buffalo then came roaring back and even took a brief lead in the second, but a late “hidden ball trick” stunt with the Buffalo goalie out of the net backfired, giving Minnesota a last second goal and an 8-7 lead at the half.

Then after halftime everything changed...Buffalo came out storming in the second half, playing almost a perfect game and playing excellent defense, stifling the Swarm attack. The Bandits completely dominated and ended up winning 14-8, with John Tavares scoring three of the goals in the second half.

Bandits head coach Darris Kilgour gave credit to his defense. "We really shut 'em down in that second half and Mikey (goalie Mike Thompson) came up big and I give them all the credit for that." Kilgour also admitted that there was some panic after those early goals. "It felt like deja vu from last year's Champion Cup game falling behind like that."

The Bandits go on to play at Rochester this Friday. Said Kilgour "Hopefully they (Rochester) are due for a game where their shots don't go in and their goalie doesn't stop everything, but other than that we just have to stick to our system."

The Knighthawks swept the Bandits in their two games in the regular season. Coach Kilgour did report that injured star goaltender Steve "Chugger" Dietrich might not be ready to start but will most likely dress as the backup. If Buffalo finds a way to win Friday's game, they will host the Champion’s Cup Final right here in Buffalo on Saturday, May 12.

The teams shake hands on the field after the Bandits took it to the Swarm by a 14-8 score.

Our weekly series on cool media folks - Meet Kevin Lester

2007-04-22T12:55:00.000-05:00

If there's one guy who has been an indelible part of downtown Buffalo's ballpark, it is Bisons Official Scorer Kevin Lester.

Kevin has been around the team throughout pretty much its entire modern era, even going back to the days at the Old Rockpile. For years he served in uniform as the team's bullpen catcher, appeared in a cameo role in the movie "The Natural", and for over a decade now he has held the post of "Official Scorer". Actually working for the League and not the team, his job is to keep official track and record of the entire game. He sits in the second tier of the pressbox, inches away from the in-pressbox PA system which he coordinates.

One of his toughest jobs is making the call between a "hit" and an "error". Kevin can regale you with countless stories of players and managers who have called on him and confronted him after a game to question his decision, some of the exchanges becoming quite heated. "It's all part of the job" Kevin laughs.

One more thing we've got to say about Kevin... there is no bigger die-hard Yankees fan than he is. He lives and dies with the fortunes of his beloved Bronx Bombers, and while the Bisons game is in progress, he is regularly on the phone between innings, getting game updates from his family back home, who are as equally crazed as he is.

A cool pressbox tradition takes place when a pitcher in the game...home or visiting team, craps out with a horrendous performance. As the pitcher departs the field, Kevin Lester will announce the line, something like "2 2/3 innings pitched, 9 hits, 8 runs, all earned, 5 walks, 3 wild pitches" across the PA, and the report will prompt a round of applause from the media contingent.

Kevin appreciates that applause. He feeds on it. And while we're at it, we also want to give him a round of applause, just for being a great baseball guy and a good friend. "CHOI!"

Sunday brunch at Dunn Tire Park

2007-04-22T11:36:00.000-05:00

Before each game the Bisons put out a nice spread for the operations staff and the media, but the Sunday buffet is always the best... fruit plate, bagels, scrambled eggs, sausage, roasted potatoes and waffles. One awesome perk if you're a sports reporter!

Quick snap from downtown Buffalo

2007-04-22T08:04:00.000-05:00

The top of One M&T Plaza, illuminated in Sabres colors. How cool is that?

The FIRST PLACE Bisons come home

2007-04-21T17:35:00.000-05:00

Time to chime in on a little Buffalo Bisons baseball.

The team traveled to Columbus and Toledo on an eight game road swing, and managed to earn a 6-2 record on the trip, including a sweep at Columbus, with one of those games a 17-1 throttling of the Clippers.

How good was the offense? They outscored the two teams 40-17 in the eight games and were led by outfielder Jason Cooper
(.333, 6-18, 3 2B, 5RBI), Ben Francisco (.345, 10-29, 3 2B, HR, 4RBI) and Shin-Soo Choo (.313, 5-16, 5RBI).

Buffalo is home for a five game set beginning tonight, and in a true Mike Veeck moment, have come up with a cool promotion - the 60 degree guarantee. They are guaranteeing it will be 60 degrees for the next two home games, Saturday, April 21 (6:05 p.m.) and Sunday, April 22 (1:05 p.m.) against the Pawtucket Red Sox. If the weather doesn’t match the very promising forecast for the weekend, everyone in attendance will get a free ticket to a future Bisons game in 2007.

With a 9-3 record, Buffalo leads the IL North.

UPDATE... 6:08PM at Dunn Tire Park... official game time temperature 62 degrees...lots of fans in the building on a great night for baseball... Better luck tomorrow for a free ticket folks!

UPDATE... 8:30PM at Dunn Tire Park... Brad Bisbing just told us that even though the temperature officially crossed the 60 degree threshold, the team is still giving a freebie ticket to everyone in attendance tonight. Nice job Bisons!!!

Tailgating with the Bfloblog guys!

2007-04-20T23:59:00.000-05:00

After countless email exchanges, cross reporting and media networking, I finally got the chance to say "hi" to Mark and Kevin at Bfloblog. They were in full tailgate form in a parking lot down Perry Street. A quick beer, some hockey talk, and a promise for a more substantial get-together down the road.

Mark and Kevin, soaking up the nice Buffalo day and the pregame festivities outside HSBC Arena

Gotta throw this one in - thousands of fans enjoying the "Party on the Plaza" outside the arena. Many fans without tickets stuck around to watch the game on the special videoboard set up outside on the plaza.

GAME 5: Sabres 4, Islanders 3

2007-04-20T23:37:00.000-05:00

Whew!

Series over.

The Sabres played a nearly perfect game for two periods, using their speed and aggression to attack the offensive zone and make play after play. Only the lack of finishing scoring chances kept this one from becoming a total laugher, and after two it was 3-0 Sabres.

That's when things got hairy - the Isles' Mirolav Satan finally got a goal in this series early in the third, but Buffalo answered right after by a pretty goal by Max Afinogenov. Light the cigar right? New York cut the lead again to two at the tten minute mark, then three minutes later scored again to make it 4-3.

"Yeah things felt a little desperate on the bench at that point" admitted Toni Lydman. After the game, Daniel Briere told the press, "The important thing is we found ways to win these games."

Ryan Miller stopped nine shots in the final seven minutes, but none bigger than with 10 seconds to go, robbing Miro Satan on the doorstep with a blind save.

The feeling in the locker room afterwards was not one of jubilation, or that of relief; basically a sense of accomplishment that they got this round behind them, and every player and Coach Lindy Ruff admitted that the few days rest will do some good. After the game PR Director Mike Gilbert announced that Wednesday is the earliest possible date for the next game.

In my doghouse - Toni Lydman, who was a -2 for the night and on a couple occasions failed to clear the puck from the zone. And I like Jochen Hecht, but we're at the point that maybe sitting him for a game might send this guy a message,

Penalty and game misconduct to... the game day entertainment crew. Whipping up the stupid wave with 9 minutes to go, then playing Sweet Caroline (bah! bah! bah!) with a tenuous one goal lead.... UGH! This stuff is OK when the game is salted away, but otherwise totally inappropriate. So shut the goddam hell up, or play some organ music, and let the fans do the rest.

Props to... the Sabres players, who again gathered as one after the handshakes were over, to salute the fans with their sticks. The crowd ate it up, of course... Plenty of love going back and forth, a nice, nice feeling.

So onward we go, with either NYR or TBL our next opponent... and still... "the chance that maybe we'll find... better days."

Reporting in from the Sabres morning skate

2007-04-20T12:45:00.000-05:00

The Sabres held a light practice this morning at HSBC Arena, which looked like an optional skate, and about 15 of the players participated, including all of the reservists (Paetsch, Paille, Peters). Also on the ice was recovering forward Paul Gaustad, wearing the red "non contact" jersey and he was the last one off the ice, participating for about 70 minutes of ice time.

Thomas Vanek said that the Sabres aren't taking their opponents lightly. "They are a good team and they have been in every single one of these games because they have the talent to do so and have worked to get to that point." Vanek said that the team has to play smarter and expects to see that on the ice tonight.

I also chatted with Paul Gaustad, starting with the same question he hears five times a day.. "How's the ankle?" "It's getting better every day and I am skating with more authority every time" Gaustad replied. His comeback schedule is still up in the air, and his doctors participate with him almost daily to evaluate his progress.

Gaustad admits that he is dying to get out there and compete in the playoffs. "It's so tough just watching and being helpless to do anything" he said. "But my job and the other guys who aren't dressing as well have a role to lift our teammates and offer support in any way we can." Gaustad did make the trip with the team to the Island.

Has the team played its best game? "No", was the unequivocal response by Lindy Ruff. "We can play a stronger all around game." He gave props to his defense which he says is maturing nicely, and also shrugged off any questions about the video reviews. "I'm going to continue to stay out of it."

Islanders Coach Ted Nolan has faced adversity all season, and when asked if the team thrives on the sudden elimination scenario, he replied "we know where we are and we know what we have to do." He called out his big guns, Yashin and Satan and said he expects more. "Our hitters have to hit, our scorers have to score, everyone has a role."

He spoke of the changing culture in the Islanders organization, bringing in players such as Sillinger and Smyth and the roles they play in the clubhouse. "That has helped in these do or die situations" Nolan said.

Couple rapid takes -
-Much of the Buffalo media camped out by the Satan stall waiting for his comments. We should have brought our ponchos instead and just joined him in his verrrrrrrry lengthy shower. That interview didn't happen.

-Markerboardgate update: no lineups in the Isles room on display today, just the bus schedule to the hotel and the buffet time. Judging from the history here, if I'm an Islanders player and the display reads food at 2PM, I'd probably have the number of Jim's Steakout as a backup plan.

-Chatted with Kevin McGran of the Toronto Star and Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun, both Leafs beat writers and now down here covering the Sabres run. I get the sense they are really rooting for our guys. Probably because they just want to see more hockey. I gave them advice on some good wing places and other restaurants; when I asked them to reciprocate and advise me on where to find a good $6 pitcher of beer in Toronto, one could hear the crickets chirping in the background.

Puck drops at 7:08 or so... I've got the pressbox chair tonight; Pete will be in the stands. Let's hope the boys put an exclamation point on round one with a convincing wih tonight. My heart and my head tells me that will be the case.

NEWS ALERT 5 PM...
New York Islanders defenseman Sean Hill has been suspended 20 games for violating the terms of the NHL/NHLPA Performance Enhancing Substances Program. The suspension begins with tonight's Stanley Cup Eastern Conference Quarterfinal game against the Buffalo Sabres.

Under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, the suspension is accompanied by mandatory referral to the NHL/NHLPA Program for Substance Abuse and Behavioral Health for evaluation and possible treatment.

"All you can eat" at Dodger Stadium

2007-04-20T09:01:00.000-05:00

This season the Los Angeles Dodgers have turned the right field bleachers into an "all you can eat pavilion". One price gets you unlimited soda pop, nachos, peanuts and hot dogs, in other words, classic ballpark dreck.

This hilarious article on Slate recounts two fans' experiences of their recent food fest at Dodger Stadium, and offers us all a few lessons in return.

NBA Playoffs coming up!

2007-04-19T15:49:00.000-05:00

I have to admit that at heart I am a fan of the roundball above all others. I have a strong basketball background in my family with two of my uncles having played hoops at the Division I college level and growing up as a kid my winters were spent shoveling the snow off of the blacktopped halfcourt in the backyard every time more than a half inch of snow fell on the ground.

My adolescence was during the Doctor/Magic/Larry/Michael days that everyone waxes poetic about today. (And as a Knicks fan during that era, I have a different opinion than most on that issue).

But anyhow, the recent run of Sabres success has turned this former NBA League Pass watching/wild feed satellite searching/staying up till 1:30 am for the Hawks/Clippers tilt hoops nut into a former basketball junkie.

(But again, the wildly inept front office and pathetic on court play of the Knicks going on simultaneously has to be a bit of a factor here as well, doesn't it?)

I guess the point of this rant is that I've watched NBA hoops less in the past season or so than I have in the last quarter century. But gosh darnit, that doesn't mean I'm not gonna put together a preview of this NBA postseason. It might not be of ESPN quality, but I bet I'll be as accurate as they will be, so there! So for the dozen or so NBA diehards who live in the Buffalo area, here goes my NBA playoff preview....

Some intriguing stories are abound in this season's first round(with predictions)....

The Cavs(2) and Wizards(7) meet in a rematch of last season's superb first round matchup. The Wizards appear to be sitting ducks for Lebron James and company with Gilbert Arenas out indefinitely. No Hibachi in this series I'm afraid....

Pick: Cavs in 5

Chicago(5) and Miami(4) is another rematch from last season's first round. How much of a factor will D-Wade's shoulder be for the Heat? Shaq v. Wallace is going to be quite a matchup of two of the East's(the only two??) premier big men. Should make for the best first round series......

Pick: Bulls in 6

Magic(8) v Pistons(1): I'm guessing that Dwight Howard and Grant Hill won't be talking about the second round like McGrady did a couple of years back after going up 3 games to 1 in the series between these two clubs in '03. Never mind, the Pistons won't let that happen against the only NBA playoff team with a losing record.
C-Webb is still in the NBA??...amazing what a change of scenery can do for a player.

Over/Under on Rasheed Wallace technicals in this series(2.5). That's down one thanks to Joey Crawford's banishment by Godfather....ahem....Commisioner Stern.

Pick: Pistons in 4

Nets(6) v. Raptors(3): good ol' Vince Carter is coming back to the ACC to destroy the Raptors seaon. While I like the nice gang of young talent that Brian Colangelo has put together in Toronto(Bosh,Bargniani,et al), something says to me this is going to Jersey....maybe it's just my hatred of the Leaves boiling over.

Pick: Nets in 6

Lakers(7) v. Suns(2): Kobe averages 55 per game in this series, posterizes Steve Nash, Shawn Marion, and Amare Stoudemire in the span of a single game.....and the Suns win in five games at most. Phoenix is just too damn stacked and hell they're so much fun to watch with their uptempo style of ball.

Pick: Suns in 4(not 5 due to my heavy anti-Laker bias)

Warriors(8) v. Mavericks(1): Chris Webber was a rookie, Chris Mullin was in his prime, Tim Hardaway probably still hated gay people and Don Nelson was coach the last time the Warriors made the postseason. Now Mullin is in the front office and after eight different Warrior head coaches since 1994 Nelson is back as the head coach. Combine that with a 3-0 record over the Mavs in the regular season and one might think there's a shot for the Warriors here.

Nah, Nelson will pull some silly schemes out of his a## in a vain attempt to knock off the club he last coached but the Mavs advance in a very entertaining series.

Pick: Mavericks in 7(instead of 5 or 6 due to my heavy pro Chris Mullin bias)

Jazz(4) v Rockets(5)....this series has no shortage of characters here....Yao, T-Mac, Boozer, AK-47, Van Gundy....ok I admit it, I got no clue about either of these two teams....well, John Amaechi did play for both clubs during his career, there's a nugget for you!

Pick: Rockets in 6

Speaking of Nuggets.....

Nuggets(6) v Spurs(3): Forget what I said about the Heat/Bulls series, THIS one will be the most interesting to watch. Have 'Melo and AI jelled as teammates in time for the postseason? And how will they stack up against Tim Duncan/Tony Parker? Does anyone else want to throw down with Duncan? Denver does come in winners of nine of their last ten....

Pick: Spurs in 6

So there ya have it, an informal yet somewhat informed look at the postseason in what I like to call "The True American Sport." And trust me, by the time the first round ends(sometime in mid-June, thank you Commish,NOT!) my picks will probably be about as accurate as all of those "experts" out there.

And remember, Knicks take it all in '08. You heard it here first!

This week in Artvoice

2007-04-19T00:20:00.000-05:00

"Better Days"

This week's Puck Stop. Check it out!

GAME 4: Sabres 4, Islanders 2

2007-04-18T22:32:00.000-05:00

The Sabres take control of the series in another hard fought game at the Masoleum....err...Coliseum.

Chris Drury tabs a pair of goals for the second time in this series and Jason Pominville adds the critical insurance goal late in the third period as the Sabres survive another last minute Islander goal and a controversial "no goal" late in the third to defeat the pesky Islanders 4-2. With the win they boys in blue and gold take a commanding 3-1 lead in the series.

The Islanders struck first with a goal by Jason Blake, but the Sabres answered back with goals by Drury and Vanek. All seemed well heading into the opening period's dying moments until Ryan Smyth was able to grab the puck to negate an icing call and next thing you know...Sillinger puts the puck in the net with a half minute left in the period. Hmmm, where have we seen that before...

But a penalty to Richard Park put the Sabs on the power play to start the second period and they converted with Drury's second of the night to put them back in front.
The scoring remained that way until a scrum occured in front of the Sabre net with about two minutes left in the third resulting with the puck in the back of the net with what appeared to be the game tying goal....

Not so fast, the referee had blown the whistle(and in later comments) because Miller was shoved into the net with possession of the puck. The play went to Toronto to be reviewed, but since the whistle blew it was considered a non reviewable goal(again, according to an NHL official).

Pominville then struck to ice the game, and down rained the bottles..at least it was better than game 3.

Nolan was adamant in the post game that the goal was a good one. You gotta feel for him, first the Vanek goal in Game 3 and now this. With his scrappy club fighting the top seed tooth and nail it must be frustrating not to get a break here and there.

At the end of the night though, Sabres lead the series 3-1 and head back to Buffalo to attempt to close it out.

Some random thoughts on tonight....

Saw Satan and Yashin arguing the "no goal" call.I think that's the first time they've been heard from all damned series.

Exactly twenty years ago to the day Patty LaLa ends one of the longest postseason games in history with his OT goal to beat the Caps in Game 7 of their Division Semifinal series.

Some boarding call that was on Numminen, Blake got tapped from behind then jumped into the boards.....

Noticed the Tim Horton's ad on the boards at the left end. Has the Horton's empire reached the NY Metro area yet???

Seattle Supersonics to OKC... could happen by 2008-09

2007-04-17T20:45:00.000-05:00

The Washington state legislature has given a flat out "NO" to a proposal to raise $300 million in various taxes to fund a new arena in suburban Renton for the Seattle Supersonics.

The righteous and moral owner Clay Bennett is now prepping himself to deliver a big "fuck you" to his fan base in Seattle and might move the team, reportedly to Oklahoma City, in time for the 2008-09 season.

More from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

GAME 3: Sabres 3, Islanders 2.

2007-04-16T22:18:00.000-05:00

And the home ice swings back to Buffalo with a hard fought win.

All scoring took place in the second period with Danny Briere connecting on the five on three power play. The Islanders took advantage of some sloppy defensive play late to score a goal in the dying seconds of the period.

Adam Mair opened the scoring with a sweet feed from Chris Drury on a rush, Thomas Vanek made the score 2-0 by jamming the puck into the corner of the net. The play had to be reviewed(for an awful long time) before the officials signaled for the goal.

But the two goal lead disappeared quickly as Trent Hunter got one past Miller's glove, players around the net seemed to slow up thinking that he had possession, but not Hunter. Briere's goal came afterward as Max sent two different Islanders to the box on the same rush.

Nice to see that the Sabres kept up the pressure in the third despite not finding the back of the net, hopefully a direct result of the lesson learned from the end of the second.

Things got ugly in the stands as bottles and other junk came flying onto the ice after a penalty was called on Robitaille in the final two minutes. This coming just after an Islander went crashing to the ice(dude was trying to get a call after closer look).

Buffalo won the special teams battle shutting out the Isles while picking up a ppg(Briere) though 1 for 6 isn't all that impressive and quite frankly one more late in the second or third would have slammed the door shut.

Game four is on Wednesday, hopefully Buffalo takes full control....

The Ultimate Sports Road Trip

We've joined the WNY Media family!

Kane goes first.....Oden to do the same????

Good grief! Another billion dollar stadium

*sigh*... So many Christians, so few lions...

Huntington Park renderings unveiled

Columbus' Brandon Watson - one amazing streak.

Eat For The Cycle

You think this Inner Harbor obstructionist nonsense only happens in Buffalo?

Hamilton Predators season tickets on sale now

Regier and Ruff are back - Reporting from the Sabres press conference

Cleveland's League Park will rise again!

Blogging from the pressbox - a reporter gets tossed

Golfing at Diamond Hawk - Cheektowaga's new jewel

The Riches say farewell to Wichita

LeBron and Co.......Meet the Borg

This is a joke, right????

"just another day in SoCal"

2012 Olympics Logo

Outdoor NHL hockey coming next season

The Chinese on baseball: "It's like a sport for nobility"

Down at the ballpark early today...

The latest perfomance for the ages....

Torey Lovullo - going to the All Star game.

Charlotte Coliseum - BOOM!

Road trip duo doing all 30 MLB parks

Cubs to Vero Beach... yeah, right.

Our weekly series on cool media folks - Meet Mike Harrington

Coney Island amusement park will be no more

So much for the American teams

They are sprucing up Damaschke Field

Today's Bucky Gleason - how a good column ends in mush

Kauffman Stadium to get dramatic facelift

Coming in 2009... "The MLB Network"

Garrioch watch - Report #5 (Final)

Now time to focus on a REAL sport.....The NBA

GAME 5: Senators 3, Sabres 2, OT

More "love" from across the Peace Bridge

U-S-A! U-S-A! Memorial Cup action starts tonight

Garrioch watch - Report #4

Sens fans show their ugly side

This week in Artvoice

Garrioch watch - Report #3

Buffalo 7, Ottawa 6

The greatest stadium ever built?

Our weekly series on cool media folks - Meet Chris Bandura

Garrioch watch - Report #2

GAME 2: Senators 4, Sabres 3, 2OT

How can you not love this guy!

The media throngs at HSBC Arena

Garrioch watch - Report #1

GAME 1: Senators 5, Sabres 2

This week in Artvoice

The Bruce Garrioch watch is on!

BCHF (Bandwagoning Canadian Hockey Fan)

Baseball is back in Niagara Falls

So just move the games to Buffalo!

Round 3 game tickets can be had... at Scotiabank Place

Our weekly series on cool media folks - Meet Dan Hickling

Holy crap!!!!!!

"We need a little hatred"

Rochester Knighthawks give up home field

GAME 5: Sabres 2, Rangers 1 OT

Reporting in from the Sabres morning skate

Those snazzy Sabres tickets...

This week in Artvoice

The Stanley Cup comes to Kandahar

Goal or No Goal? Different takes from VS and TSN

Crosstown rivalry alive and well in the Big Apple

Downtown Buffalo at night

Artvoice "Best Of Buffalo"

An update on Cisco Field in Oakland

Blogging stuff in the news

Random thoughts on the NBA playoffs.....

"Chacarron Macarron!"

Our weekly series on cool media folks - Meet Mike Haim

Go away Ronan Tynan!

GAME 2: Sabres 3, Rangers 2

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

Morning skate stuff.....

sigh... So many Christians, so few lions...