The BUFFALO Sports Bar

[Romeo Delight]

Good for Buffalo.

Nucks need to put anyone but Morrison on that line.

They have no puck possession. Can't win an offensive face-off if their lives depended on it...especially Morrison.

I still have some faith but it isn't looking good

[Dave's PA Rental]

Dude, are you afraid you might jinx 'em?

Good for the Sabes...and mother FUCK the Bruins and their new douche-bag Adolf Hitler look-alike coach...

[Va Beach VH Fan]

Originally posted by Dave's PA Rental
Dude, are you afraid you might jinx 'em?

Good for the Sabes...and mother FUCK the Bruins and their new douche-bag Adolf Hitler look-alike coach...

Yeah bro, I watched some of that game until they took the 4-1 lead, and thought was in the bag...

Silly me....

[Dave's PA Rental]

I was reviving this thread regardless, because the Sabes are legit...

I think that Nick doesnt want to jinx them...

That game last night could have been a Bruins telecast from last year...they couldnt hold third period leads then either. And i'm pretty sure that the B's have NEVER won a shootout.

Sorry, this is a Buffalo sports thread isnt it...

[Va Beach VH Fan]

Most definitely, the Sabres have "IT" this year....

I can't wait until the Sabres start playing the Pens, talk about some open ice hockey....

[Nickdfresh]

Well, congratulations to the winners of the President's Trophy, the 2006-2007 Buffalo Sabres compiling a 54-21-7 record with 115 pts...

But, does this mean we can't win the Cup?:confused:

[Romeo Delight]

I think Buffalo is one of the most exciting teams to watch in the NHL.

BUT...here is another situation where a big fucking asterisk needs to be put beside this President's Cup.

Look at the conference you play in. I guess the Northeast has Ottawa

It just doesn't mean anything anymore, with this ridiculous schedule.

Look at the Canuck's division...Van, Minesota, Calgary, Colorado, Edmonton.

In their conference is Detroit, Nashville, Anaheim, San Jose, Dallas.

It would have been a complete joke if Detroit would have won the President's cup...with that weak division and the schedule...St. Louis, Columbus, Chicago.

What happened to the history...why is the divison called Northeast? So some casual American fans can make sense of it?

I'd like to see home run contests decide MLB games.

[Nickdfresh]

Sabres-Penguins in The Ralph a go
NBC will televise New Year’s Day Ice Bowl
By Tim Graham NEWS SPORTS REPORTER
Updated: 08/25/07 6:25 AM

Over the past two seasons, the Buffalo Sabres have grown in importance so much their games have become about more than mere hockey. They’re community events.

On New Year’s Day, the party is going to get a whole lot bigger.

The much-talked-about outdoor game between the Sabres and Pittsburgh Penguins in Ralph Wilson Stadium finally is a go for 1 p.m. Jan. 1, multiple sources have told The Buffalo News. The game will be nationally televised by NBC.

Sources close to the Sabres claimed the Ice Bowl event was in jeopardy of being scrapped because financing construction and maintenance of an outdoor hockey rink was difficult, but a deal apparently came together this week.

The NHL is expected to make an official announcement Sept. 10 in Buffalo.

NHL spokesman Frank Brown on Friday would not confirm the game had been finalized.

“When and if we have something to announce we’ll make sure it’s announced loudly,” Brown said. The Sabres declined to comment.

Over the past 35 years, the average high temperature in Buffalo has been 38.3 degrees on New Year’s Day. In the past eight years, however, the temperature has reached 50 degrees three times, including a high of 52 this year.

But there are no guarantees when it comes to winter weather in Western New York. The high temperature was a bonenumbing 19 degrees in 1999.

Ralph Wilson Stadium seats 73,967 for football. Crowd capacity for a hockey game, with room for additional field seating, could be greater. It’s unknown if bleachers will be constructed to bring fans closer to the boards.

The Ice Bowl would be the first outdoor NHL game since the Heritage Classic between the Edmonton Oilers and Montreal Canadiens in November 2003. Despite a minus-18 degree wind chill, 57,167 watched in Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton.

tgraham@buffnews.com

Well, this could be interesting!

[Va Beach VH Fan]

Bumped....

[Nickdfresh]

Bills Owner Ralph Wilson, ex-DE Bruce Smith Inducted

Ha! Didn't know ya' bumped it. In any case:

Bruce Smith, Woodson highlight new Hall class

Updated: January 31, 2009, 7:43 PM EST
131 comments
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) - Bruce Smith, Rod Woodson and Derrick Thomas, all witnesses for the defense. All Pro Football Hall of Famers.

The three were elected on Saturday along with longtime Buffalo Bills owner Ralph Wilson, who at age 90 will be the oldest person ever inducted; former Minnesota guard Randall McDaniel; and the late Bob Hayes, a standout wide receiver for Dallas and the 1964 Olympic 100 meters gold medalist.

Inductions will be Aug. 8 in Canton, Ohio.

The only candidate among the seven finalists who didn't get in was former Falcons and Eagles defensive end Claude Humphrey.

Former commissioner Paul Tagliabue was denied entry for the third straight year, not even making it past the first round of cuts.

Tagliabue, who retired in 2006 after 17 years in the job, has met strong resistance in his three years of eligibility despite the profitability and labor peace the league enjoyed during his tenure.

No such problem for Smith and Woodson in their first year on the ballot.

"I am overjoyed," said Smith, the career sacks leader who spent most of his career with the Bills.

"It's a great honor, a great feat," said Woodson, the former defensive back who played for the Pittsburgh Steelers, among other teams. "I'm still pinching myself a little bit, thinking it's surreal."

Canton's calling
Electee

Teams

Position
Bob Hayes

DAL, SF

WR
Randall McDaniel

MIN, TB

G
Bruce Smith

BUF, WAS

DE
Derrick Thomas

KC

LB
Ralph Wilson

BUF

Owner
Rod Woodson

PIT, SF, BAL, OAK

S/CB

The moist poignant moment, however, came when Hayes' sister, Lucille Hester, read from a thank-you letter Hayes left in case he made the hall. He died in 2002.

"It didn't matter how long it took. ... The day is here, and it is historic," she said.

A defensive end, Smith retired five years ago with 200 sacks and made two all-decade teams. Drafted No. 1 overall in 1985, Smith had the most seasons with double-digit sacks (13) and the most postseason sacks (14 1/2). He earned defensive player of the year honors in 1990 and 1996 with Buffalo and concluded his 19-season career with four seasons as a Redskin.

Smith previously said making the hall would be a bigger honor if two other Bills, Wilson and wide receiver Andre Reed, also got in the same year. He got half of his wish.

"What a phenomenal class, and especially with having Ralph Wilson, the founding owner of the Buffalo Bills, to be inducted in the '09 class as well," Smith said. "This is truly special."

Then his thoughts turned to his family.

"Just thinking about my father and all the sacrifices he and my mother made when I was a child growing up to be a man," Smith added, tearfully. "How he wanted me to have a life better than he had. I just wish he was here. He would be extremely proud of this day."

Wilson and the Titans' Bud Adams are the only original AFL members who still own their franchises. Their teams will meet in the Hall of Fame game the day after the inductions.

Wilson has steadfastly kept his team in a small market while other owners bolted for the bright lights and big bucks of mega stadiums. He drew the biggest ovation at the announcement and mentioned that he'd seen every hall enshrinee perform at some point.

"Pro football to me is not about making money. It's a matter of competition, the flow of the game," he said. "People in the community become attached to a team. It gives them a quality of life.

"I had a chance to move that team. I think it would be crazy to do that."

Woodson, the 1993 defensive player of the year, also made the 1990s all-decade team. He led the NFL in interceptions in 1999 and 2002 with Baltimore, and in kickoff returns (27.3-yard average) in 1989 with Pittsburgh. He played cornerback and safety for the Steelers, 49ers, Ravens and Raiders in a 17-season career, winning the NFL championship with Baltimore in the 2001 game and making Super Bowls with Pittsburgh and Oakland.

Woodson is the career leader in interception returns for touchdowns with 12.

"I don't think any of us started playing football because we wanted to be in the Hall of Fame," Woodson added. "I started playing football because my brothers played."

Thomas, who died nine years ago after an auto accident while still an active player, also was on the 1990s all-decade team and was the 1989 defensive rookie of the year. He is 11th in career sacks with 126 1/2.

A rushing outside linebacker who also had responsibilities in pass coverage for Kansas City, Thomas set an NFL mark with seven sacks in one game against Seattle on Nov. 11, 1990, a year in which he paced the NFL with 20 sacks.

"Derrick Thomas was the cornerstone of the modern era of the Kansas City Chiefs and one of the most feared performers of his era," Chiefs owner Clark Hunt said. "Every head coach and offensive coordinator who faced the Chiefs during the 1990s knew when they came to Arrowhead Stadium they had to account for Derrick Thomas."

McDaniel was that rare guard as effective in pass protection as run blocking and could handle even the best defensive linemen singlehandedly. He missed only two games in his 14-season career and was yet another member of the 1990s all-decade team.

"Randall was a beast," Smith said. "Once he locked on to you, you couldn't go anywhere."

Hayes was the most dangerous deep threat in pro football from 1965-75. Nicknamed "Bullet Bob," he twice he led the NFL in touchdown catches and in average yards per reception. He also was a brilliant kick returner.

The long wait for Hayes to get into the hall - he was a senior committee choice - had much to do with problems he had off the field.

Hayes served 10 months in a Texas prison after pleading guilty in 1979 to delivering narcotics to an undercover officer. That "destroyed my life" Hayes wrote in his autobiography, "Run, Bullet, Run: The Rise, Fall, and Recovery of Bob Hayes." The prison term ended at about the same time he first became eligible for the hall.

Tagliabue's day still has not arrived. Critics cited his inability to place a team back in Los Angeles after the Rams and Raiders left in 1995, and said the labor agreement he pushed through in 2006 was cast aside by the owners last year.

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/9157152/Bruce-Smith,-Woodson-highlight-new-Hall-class?MSNHPHMA

You non-Bills fans, what do you think of WR Andre Reed? He was up and wasn't inducted, but has some solid numbers...

[Nickdfresh]

Commentary

Bills grab attention with T.O. signing
By Jerry Sullivan
NEWS SPORTS COLUMNIST

Updated: 03/07/09 9:55 PM

It would be easy, of course, to climb up on my soapbox and rip the Bills for this move.

Really, Terrell Owens? Are you kidding me? On Dick Jauron's football team? Terrell Owens, the NFL's most notorious diva, a man who has divided every locker room he's ever set foot in? Terrell Owens, who burns with jealousy over his tight end?

What happened to character, chemistry and camaraderie? Has Ralph Wilson finally gone off the deep end? Would Marv Levy want to be right here, right now? T.O. signing with the Bills is like Rush Limbaugh signing up with the ACLU. It just doesn't fit. It goes against everything the Bills claim to stand for.

You know what, though? I love it. Once I recovered from the initial shock, I realized it was the most interesting thing to happen to the Bills since they acquired Drew Bledsoe in 2002. All right, so that didn't turn out so well in the long run. And yes, this is a desperate move, a sure sign that Jauron, the embattled head coach, needs to win this year and will do anything necessary to get there.

But what the heck. At least they're willing to try something bold and daring. A lot of Bills fans have grown weary of following a team without a real pulse or personality, a team without any distinguishable star power, a franchise that hasn't shot for the moon very often since the Super Bowl years.

Well, no one can say that now. You can't accuse the Bills of being unwilling to sign big-name players, or take a chance on a player with a sketchy history. Owens might be the biggest name of them all right now, a fading superstar who still has the talent and charisma to dominate the American sports pages for days at a time.

It really was amazing after the Cowboys cut him this past week. It was T.O. talk, all the time. Hockey, basketball, spring training, even Alex Rodriguez ... nothing else mattered once Jerry Jones decided he could no longer coexist with Owens. Like a raging house fire, he commands your full attention.

Maybe it'll blow up in the Bills' faces and they'll be the laughingstock of the league. Oh, wait a minute. They already were the joke of the NFL. So what the heck. At least in the short term, signing T.O. makes the Bills relevant again.

For the first time in years, they're a team that makes a nation sit up and watch, a franchise that actually matters.

Why not give it a shot? What do they have to lose? Tranquility and calm in the locker room, among a bunch of nice guys who haven't won a damn thing?

Owens had become a distraction in Dallas. There's no question about that. But it's not as if he was the only problem (Wade Phillips, anyone?). The Cowboys haven't won, despite Jones' money and ambition. So it was a convenient time to make T.O. the villain, just in time for Jones to open his new gridiron palace out in Texas.

At least Owens hasn't been arrested for leaving the scene of an accident or carrying a concealed weapon. Marshawn Lynch should be dancing in his kitchen today. Suddenly, his off- field indiscretions are a mere footnote. By the time Buffalo stops talking about Owens, Lynch will probably be done serving his suspension.

And let's be honest, this makes the Bills better. I'm not sure how much better. Maybe Owens is the difference between 6-10 and 8-8. They still have a lot of holes, an inferior head coach and a much more demanding schedule. But T.O. gives them the viable second receiver they've been seeking, oh, since Peerless Price left Buffalo the first time.

Yes, T.O. is 35 years old, and he isn't the wide receiver he used to be. But he's a lot better than anything else they have. Owens had 69 catches for 1,052 yards and 10 touchdowns last year. That's better than anyone on the Bills last year. Let me elaborate on that: That's more yards and TD catches than Josh Reed, Roscoe Parrish, James Hardy and Steve Johnson combined last season. If that's the performance of a player in decline, the Bills should get more of them. What, you'd rather cross your fingers and hope Hardy figures out how to run a pass route between now and September?

It could get ugly, sure. One month into the season, the Bills might be 1-3 and Owens might start trashing Trent Edwards for not throwing him the ball enough and Turk Schonert for not getting him enough touches in the offense. There's a history. Just ask Donovan McNabb, or Jeff Garcia, or Tony Romo.

Then imagine this: Lee Evans split out left, Owens out to the right, Josh Reed in the slot. That's what you call an upgrade. They've been in the bottom quarter of the league in offense six years in a row. Maybe mixing in a Hall of Fame wideout will make them average or better. Last season, Edwards went into his first full season as the starter, and they didn't add a receiver of any consequence to help speed his development. It was an outrage, a huge miscalculation. Jauron said before the season they had no choice but to expect solid production from Hardy. They got virtually nothing. They need to find out if Edwards can be a star, and he needs the weapons to do it.

I didn't think they would pay elite money to a second wide receiver. Remember, that's why they let Price go six years ago. But they're only committing one year and $6.5 million to Owens. This doesn't break the bank. Wilson has the money. It gives them a year of cushion while waiting to find out if Hardy and Johnson are genuine NFL options.

Owens hasn't broken any laws. His major crime is one of ego. He has an insatiable need to be the center of attention and the focus of the offense. But in his first year with a new team (Philadelphia, Dallas), he has subjugated his ego to some extent to prove he could be part of a team.

That's likely to be a prime motivation for him now, to prove he can be a team guy on a young team that is learning how to win. Owens is determined to show he's still a difference-maker in the NFL. Jauron is desperate to prove he can be a winning coach. It's an odd marriage, born of necessity and desperation.

Chances are, it'll be a circus. But after nine dreary years, maybe that locker room could use a jolt of personality and life. All I know is it promises to be fun. I never thought I'd say this, but I can hardly wait for minicamp.

jsullivan@buffnews.com


Find this article at: The Buffalo News

[Romeo Delight]

Hey Nick...if the Sabres make the playoffs will there be tickets available?

We should go if so.

[TAKIN WHISKEY]

Good luck, It sounds good on paper, I know. Evans, Reed and T.O should help Edwards tremendously, but......

[Nickdfresh]

Hey Nick...if the Sabres make the playoffs will there be tickets available?

We should go if so.

The Sabres probably won't make the playoffs, and I doubt tix will be available if they do, but I can check...

[Top Jimmy]

I thought this was a thread about The Buffalo Bar in in Las Vegas,
a well-known hangout for gay guys..........

you queers.