SportsBuffalo.blogspot.com

RSS Feed Homepage

Bills find Defeat in Victory
2007-10-09 23:31:00
It was a real heartbreaker Monday Night in Buffalo. The 4-0 Cowboys were only a 53-yard Field Goal away from going 4-1.Everyone already knows the story of the Bills Defense and Special Teams and how they carried the team until there was only 2 seconds left on the clock.Now here are some of my thoughts on the Bill's performance.Good The Defense, one of the worst ranked units in the NFL, had 5 interceptions, 1 forced fumble, and controlled the running game of the Cowboys, one of the best offensive units in the NFL.Brian Moorman - He is easily the MVP on the Bills Roster and proved it again last night. He converted a 4th and 4 only the have to punt 4 downs later. What a punt it was! Inside the 1 is insane.Trent Edwards - He had a great game dispite throwing the lone interception. He has a pose about him that Losman simply cant compete with. Edwards has a NFL record of 1-1 right now. He should be given the start against the Ravens next week. Bad Umm We Lost even though the Cowboys had ...
More About: Victory , Find

Whose our QB?
2007-10-05 23:50:00
Another Year. Another chance for JP.Did He Blow It? So Trent Edwards started his first NFL game last Sunday. He managed the team and the game and led the Bills to a season first victory. I wonder how Losman is sleeping the past few nights?Trent Edwards could be the next Jim Kelly or he could be another Losman.I think if he has a solid night (2 TDs, 150 yards, and no more than 1 ints) then he will be the new starter for the Bills. Whoever the Bills select as their QB, they should stick with them no matter how bad the team does. This "wishy-washy" decision making kills the confidence of all QBs.Monday will tell all. Bills are likely to go to 1-4 but 2-3 isnt impossible. Crazier things have happened. To win the Bills will need a huge game from the D and Special Teams.

Paestch Resigns With Sabres
2007-07-31 13:37:00
Well what a happy way to end the horrible free agency season. After losing Drury, Briere, and Zubrus and forced to pay $50 million to Vanek, it seems there is light at the end of the tunnel.The Sabres signed Roy last Friday with a 6 year deal. Today the Sabres have once again avoided arbitration and signed D-man, Nathan Paetsch.Buffalo only has to pay $3 million for 3 years for a player that can have one of the biggest impacts on the team. The doctor to the poor PP last year and the missing link in the armor of the Defense. Expect to see Paetsch play a vital role on the Sabres this year.Last Year he had 2 Goals, 22 Assists, +10.

Roy Resigns with the Sabres through 2013
2007-07-27 21:37:00
Roy, Roy, Roy, ....... ROYWell finally I appreciate the Sabres management. They did this the past few years, signing most of their players moments before they entered their arbitration.Today it was Derek Roy. He signed a 6 year, $24 million dollar contract. It was expected that he would get about that much if he went into arbitration. There was a few players similar to Roy that went for big money this year.Nathan Horton (C) went for 31G, 31A, and a +15. "Roy-ish" Horton signed that same deal a Roy, 6 year, $24 mil.Dustin Penner (RW) was a 29G, 16A, -2 man last season. He signed a 5 year, $21.15 million dollar deal with the Oilers.Seems teams are learning that to have a "dynasty" team, you need to signed your core long term. The Sabres are now doing a good job. We have Vanek, Roy, Lydman, Tallinder, and Mair through 2010. We have to sign an extension with Miller, Max, Stafford, and Campbell.We have to keep our feature line from last year of Vanek, Roy and Max together. The Austrian/C...

Outdoor Hockey Arena....How?
2007-07-25 02:46:00
Well now with the ideas of an outdoor hockey game possible in WNY, how will we be able to do it. There are a ton of factors that affect the logistics of this event.What I thought was funny is that this whole outdoor hockey game kind of gaveup on the Bills. The Bill play their last home regular season game the day before the Original "Ice Bowl". What if the Bills went into the playoffs this year? Haha, I know I thought the same thing.I wonder if the Planning Committee for this Ice Bowl thought the same thing? The Bills Playoffs. No Really We're Serious!Here are a few clips from an article about how ice rinks are made and how difficult it might be to host an outdoor game. This article has a ton of cool information. I'd advise you to check it out to see what Buffalo has to do for their hopeful "Ice Bowl". If the Sabres can pull this off, they will be the first team in the NHL to host an outdoor game in America. It would be a great accomplishment for the City who earned s...
More About: Hockey , Outdoor , Arena

Is Beckham Bad for the NHL?
2007-07-23 22:01:00
Saturday night I watched the David Beckham make his appearance on EPSN during the Galaxy vs Chelsea match. The roar of the crowd announced his entrance to the game before the announcer had made the substitution officially. Beckham is being paid $50 million a year for the next five years. That's huge. That includes endorsements but still $50 million a year. So what is the point of paying one of the best European "Football" players that much money?The MLS is hoping that in bringing in one of Europe's best, they can profit from the ticket sales and merchandise sales. They hope to increase the popularity of the sport to the levels of Football and Baseball. History tells us that he will simply be a blip on the radar of American sports. As big a name as Beckham is world-wide, there is none bigger than Pele. The single most recognizable name in the history of soccer came to the United States to launch professional soccer into the public consciousness in the 1970s. In 1975, a 35 year old...

Could Peca Return to the Sabres
2007-07-20 21:57:00
With the Sabres losing Drury and Briere, might Darcy look to former Sabres Captain, Michael Peca. Is it worth it though?The Sabres are not really looking at him right now. They are trying to focus on their free agents, Derek Roy and Nathan Paestch who are up for arbitration on July 27th and August 2nd, in that order.Pros of PecaHe could bring leadership to a team that lost of theirs at the end of the year. With the two captains of the Sabres gone, it has left a huge hole in who will lead the team.He is a defensive forward who value doesn't show in stats but how he plays on the ice.He is good on the PP and PK.Cons of PecaInjuries. He was out for about four months last season with a broken leg playing his last game on December 22nd.Cost. $2 mil a yearPeca's agent contacted the Sabres and Darcy implied that he wasn't interested. Maybe it was the price or maybe it was something else. I'd wait and see on this one. If his price goes down, he will most likely become a Sabres or ...
More About: Return , Turn

Can you be the Why Guy or Nicholas Picholas?
2007-07-20 15:05:00
The Sabres are searching for the next Jumbo-Tron Personality. Remember the constant booing when the Why Guy and Nicholas Picholas would say something stupid on camera? Well that could be you if you wanted to put yourseld up to it.The initial entry for the contest will consist of an on-camera audition, explaining in two minutes or less why the contestant would be a unique and interesting in-game host. The winner of the contest will receive the opportunity to host 10 home games during the regular season. The contest will be a four-round elimination where the top four finalists will compete during portions of two Sabres home games at the beginning of the season (October 11 and 13). The winner will be announced live during the Sabres game on October 19 against the Columbus Blue Jackets.There are three ways for interested candidates to enter. There will be a live casting call at HSBC Arena on Saturday August 4 from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Members of the Sabres staff will be available to...

Conklin Signs with the Penguins
2007-07-19 21:33:00
Pittsburgh has just signed a deal with former Sabres Goalie, Ty Conklin. 1 year deal, $500,000. It's going to be hard to let go of a player that made such an impact for the Buffalo Sabres. But now that the Sabres have Thibault (former Pen Goalie) and Pens have Conklin, the cycle is complete. Oh Wait He only played five games for the Sabres and had a collective 89.17% Save Percentage and let in 13 goals. It's a good thing that the Sabres will hopefully play the Penguin s outdoors so that all of the Conklin Sabres Jerseys can be worn.The Conklin LegacyA Kick Ass Goalie Helmetand the Worst Goalie to play the puck in the Stanley Cup Finalsyoutube video****Good Luck in Pittsburgh****
More About: Signs , Guin

What were you thinking Vick?
2007-07-19 19:58:00
I'm sure that you have heard about Michael Vick (the Running Back with a decent arm that runs for more yards that he throws), what is the deal with these players. They make so much money and have so much free time that they run out of things to do. What I don't get is why do you have to hurt dogs or any living thing.So hear are all of the details of recent Vick incident. Funny thing Michael Vick's personal website, mikevick.com kind of leaves out the whole dog fighting incident.He is being charged of having and operating a dog fighting ring on his property in Surry County. The two story large brick home is surrounded by a large fence and has several black buildings in the back. If Vick is found guilty he could face 6 years in prison along with with a $325,000 fine.Although the Vick case is extremely sad, there are tons of other cases around the nation that are increasing at an alarming rate.John Goodwin, an expert on animal fighting with the Humane Society, says there are an...
More About: Thinking , Were

Buffalo's Best Fantasy Players in 2007
2007-07-19 00:49:00
So you want to win your fantasy football league. You also want to draft some of your team's talent. So who will give you big time points?Marshawn LynchThe Bills starting RB this year has the potential to rack up huge fantasy points. The Bills have said that they plan to use him more as a receiver than a running back. JP Losman will play more of a west coast style offense. Short Quick Passes. Expect Lynch to be the target of most of these passes. During your draft, take Lynch after you have a starting RB. He might be sharing downs with the "A" Train Thomas so that could limit his value. He is going for a second round pick in most mock drafts but he is also considered a sleeper. The risk could be worth the reward.SportsBuffalo SaysSecond Pick RB, Third Round Overall********************************** ***************************************** *********Lee EvansThe explosive receiver Evans has his ups and downs every week. Last year when playing the Texans in November he went ...
More About: Players , Fantasy , Layer

Bills are winning before the Season Begins
2007-07-17 23:59:00
Buffalo Bill s ticket sales began Saturday morning. Seas on ticket holders gave no chance for other fans to buy tickets to several games. The Bills sold out the games against the Broncos, Jets, and Cowboys and have limited seats left for the Ravens and the Patriots. They already have one more sell out before the season started than at the end of last year.Tickets are still available for home games against Cincinnati (Nov. 4), Miami (Dec. 9) and the New York Giants (Dec. 23), though the Bills did not disclose how much inventory is left.Regular SeasonDAY DATE OPPONENT TV TIME/RECAP Sun. 9/9 DENVER BRONCOS CBS 1:00 PM Sun. 9/16 @ Pittsburgh Steelers CBS 1:00 PM Sun. 9/23 @ New England Patriots CBS 1:00 PM Sun. 9/30 NEW YORK JETS CBS 1:00 PM ...
More About: Winning , Fore

Bisons leading the Herd
2007-07-14 18:54:00
The Bison s are about halfway through their season and they are on top of the pack in the North Division. They also lead the division in Away Wins, and surprisingly are 3rd last for home wins. Our buddy over at Buffalo Baseball Blog grade the Bisons on their season so far.OFFENSE (B) - Buffalo's offense was a major force in propelling the Bisons to an early season lead in the North, outscoring opponents by 37 runs in a weather shortened April and managing to score ten runs in a game five times. The hot bats continued through May but a June slump saw Buffalo slip to fifth in the league in runs scored. STARTERS (B+) - Despite the Bisons rotation suffering through a rash of injuries and the inevitable call ups, Buffalo's starters have done a remarkable job holding down the fort and giving the team solid starts.BULLPEN (C) - Buffalo's bullpen has been a case of Jekyll and Hyde all season long. The Herd saw its pen struggle for stretches early in the season posting a 5.65 ERA for t...
More About: Leading , Lead

Sabres show Major Interest in Andy Sutton
2007-07-14 15:49:00
Andy SuttonDefenseAndy Sutton was a defensemen for Atlanta Thrashers who would be a great fit for the Sabres because he played with his heart and gives everything he has every game.Sutton was one of the main defensemen in Atlanta until the aquired Zhitnik which dropped his average playing time from about 20 min to 11 min. He was respected for his size being a 6'-6, 245 lb blue line guardian.He would be a great addition for the Sabres and would add grit and strength to a team full of speed.Career StatsSeason Team GP G A P +/- PIM PP SH GW Shots Pct 1991-1992 Gananoque OHA-B 36 11 9 20 1992-1993 Gananoque OHA-B 38 14 9 23 1993-1994 St. Mike's B's MTJHL 4...
More About: Show , Andy , Interest , Major , Eres

Whose Left?
2007-07-13 00:18:00
About a week ago I published a post about which free agents the Sabres can sign and which players they have an interest with. Within the week a number of players were signed. So now that the Sabres have settled there stomachs by keeping Vanek, who else can we sign cheap. Brendan Shanahan - The New York Rangers have signed unrestricted free agent veteran Brendan Shanahan to a one-year contract. Shanahan, 38, will earn a base salary of $2.5 million and can earn an additional $2.8 million in performance-related bonuses. Sheldon Souray - Souray has inked a five-year, $27 million contract with the Edmonton Oilers.Aaron Miller - The Vancouver Canucks signed free agent Aaron Miller. Miller's deal is for one year but financial terms were not immediately available.Vitali Vishnevski - The New Jersey Devils have signed unrestricted free agent defenseman Vitaly Vishnevski to a three-year, $5.4 million contract.Danny MarkovAndy SuttonEric Lindros Brian Boucher Eric Godard Anson Carter Jeff O...
More About: Left

Sabres Schedule Released - Jan 1st Game Outdoors in Buffalo
2007-07-11 20:28:00
Although it was a rumor yesterday, it is now a fact that the Buffalo Sabres will host the first outdoor hockey game in 4 years at the home of the Buffalo Bills, The Ralph Wilson Stadium against the Pittsburgh Penguins on New Year's Day at 1pm.This may be the highlight of the season. Well maybe it can be topped if they win the Stanley Cup. Maybe. But honestly, what can be more fun that playing one of the greatest games on the planet in front of about 74,000 screaming fans. About the Regular Season Schedule , take a look. Glance at the bottom and at the last 8 straight games. They are all super important because they are all division games. We better not have out mid season breakdown again this year.Guys we are obligated to hate now are making their HSBC debuts with theirnew teams as follows:McKee - Wednesday, November 28, assuming he’s healthyBriere - Friday, December 21Drury - Saturday, February 23 (that’s going to suck)For more Schedule Comments-BfloBlogPond Hockey is one of my...
More About: Outdoors , Released , Game

Sabres May Host Penguins Outdoors
2007-07-10 23:53:00
It has been a while since the NHL has played a game that wasn't in an enclosed building. The last time that there was a NHL game outdoors was back on November 22, 2003 between Edmonton and Montreal and was part of the "The Heritage Classic". The Montreal president, Boivin, wanted to see more outdoor games to showcase the six Canadian teams. The event also averaged 2.747 million viewers on Hockey Night in Canada to become CBC's highest-rated NHL regular-season game.The Buffalo Sabres are in the drawing to host a game at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Detroit is also in the drawing to host the game that will be on New Year's Day and is supposedly to be called "The Ice Bowl".Now while Pittsburgh will be a good game, wouldn’t it be better to have the Florida Panthers or San Jose Sharks come play in the snow? We all know how much we love having the Dolphins up in December to play the Bills. How about one of those warm-weather NHL teams comes and experiences a real western NY winter!-...
More About: Outdoors , Host , Door , Penguin , Guin

Rookies are Rising
2007-07-10 03:13:00
The Sabres lost many key players in their offense this summer. Drury. Briere. Zubrus. Three players who presence will be missed this season. While no one person can replace the things that these three players brought to the team, the Sabres will try hard to together, replace the lost pieces.With the available players, these are what the lines are predicted to be.Vanek - Connolly - Afinogenov Hecht - Roy - Pominville Kotalik - Gaustad - Stafford Paille - Mair - (Ryan, Kaleta, or Peters)What I can already see is how we have two good hitting lines that can also score and one other scoring line that can hit. I wouldn't be suprised to see Kotalik dropped to the fourth line and Paille moved up to the 3rd. The Connolly line seems fragile but has great potential to light that lamp.Power Play couldn't be worse than last year. The problem was that there was to much talent trying to do too much. There will be two QB of the PP lines, Connolly and Vanek.Of Course all of this could ch...
More About: Rookies , Rook , Rookie

Sabres Free Agent Choices
2007-07-09 19:32:00
The list of players available for the Sabres are shrinking. Today I sum up one of the Sabres choices, Brendan Shanahan, the first on the list. Brendan ShanahanShanahan is a Left Winger and played on the Rangers last year along side of Jagr. He is a tough veteran who will add instant leadership to any team. He has played in the NHL for 19 years on the following teams; New Jersey Devils, St. Louis Blues, Hartford Whalers, Detroit Red Wings, and the NY Rangers. In his career he has scored 627 goals, 667 assists, and was a +155 in 1,417 career games. He has won three Stanley Cups on the Devils. If the Sabres snatch him up, it would cost around $4 million but I would sign him for more than a year or two due to his age. It is extremely possible that no team will sign him because he may choose to retire.I feel that Shanahan is not the fix the Sabres need right now. We need to let Vanek step up and earn his way to the face of the franchise. Bringing in Shanahan would only discour...
More About: Agent , Free , Choi , Choices , Free Agent

Best of the Rest
2007-07-09 01:59:00
Once again here is the updated list of who the Sabres are showing interest in. Brendan Shanahan Sheldon Souray Danny MarkovAndy SuttonEric Lindros Aaron Miller Brian Boucher Vitali Vishnevski Eric Godard Anson Carter Jeff O'Neill*** Ty Conklin is not expected to return to the Sabres next Season***Every day I will post a Bio about each potential Sabres. It will probably be a long time until you hear any team signing these players. Most of them will sign around September.
More About: Rest

Sabres sign Vanek 7-year, $50 million
2007-07-07 04:13:00
Well the this was one of the problems that we expected to see this season with Vane k. We were at the mercy of another team. The team in the Vanek saga happened to be Edmonton. They offered him a 7 year, $50 million deal. The Sabres having lost both of there captions already in the free agency, were not going to let another up and coming star leave the team.The thing that blows me away is why didn't the Sabres try to sign him quick to a lower price. He made just under a million last year. Five would have sounded just awesome to him.Instead they shelled out a ton of money to keep one our last stars left in this free agency.[Sabres] will pay Vanek $15 million in the first two years, including $10 million for the first year. The total of the contract is 7 years, $50 million. -WGR550.comVanek has come a long way in the past few years but I hope he can really step up his leadership and become the face of the franchise. He has a long deal in Buffalo so lets make the most of it.
More About: Sign , Million , Year

Teppo gets another Year
2007-07-05 12:49:00
Defense men Teppo Numminen signed for another year to the Buffalo Sabres yesterday for 2.6 mil, the same amount he made last year.“It was an easy decision to come back,” Numminen told The Buffalo News on Wednesday from his home in Finland. “Being there two years, I really enjoyed myself and my family really felt comfortable in Buffalo. That was my first choice.”It is about time that the Sabres make a move on some of their free agents. They have a long list of people to sign and a short time to sign them. Three players can go to arbitration this year. They are Roy, Paetsch, and Peters.
More About: Year

Whose Side Are You On?
2007-07-04 02:50:00
There has been a ton of talk the past few days about who fault it was that the Sabres lost both of their captains in only about 6 hours on Sunday. At first it looked like the Sabres management dropped the ball by not talking to either free agent sooner.Drury has been making headlines even after he left the team. Even though Drury said that he wanted to stay in the area, the Rangers offered a better deal. 5 years $32.25 million. But at the Sabres press conference other things were said.Quinn said multiple times that it was Drury's decision to return home and accept the Rangers' terms. "So we're perfectly clear [about] Chris Drury, we were perfectly prepared to pay that money that he received. That was not the issue. He chose to go to New York. He did not want to come back with Buffalo.""They never once countered," Quinn added. "They did not want to give us a number, and ultimately said they did not want to come back and wanted to go to New York." -WGR550Listen to the Press Co...
More About: Side

Another One Bites the Dust
2007-07-03 22:00:00
Zubrus is going to Detroit next season. They signed him to a 6 year deal, for $20.4 million . That seems a little much for a player past his prime and prone to knee injuries. He is 29 and this deal will be with him until he is 35...hmmm.The 29-year-old has played 689 career NHL games with the Sabres, Capitals, Montreal Canadiens and Philadelphia Flyers, scoring 138 goals and 360 points.This may be the last free agency for a while. These 5,6,7 year deals are a little much committment for a lot of players. In a few years all of the teams that gave their soul and salary to these players will regret it.I wasn't suprised about Zubrus he was only a rental for the Sabres anyways. No big lose. No big suprise. There a still a few players left to make an impact on the Sabres.
More About: The D , Bite

Sabres Running out of Options
2007-07-03 02:47:00
The are still a ton of rumors running around the NHL. The is still a lot of talent left out in the cold of the free agency. Who do the Sabres still have a chance at?Selanne -D- Over $4 million he doesn't retire (was teammates with Lydman and Numminen on the Fargo Moorhead Jets)if Handzus - Center - $2.5 milShanahan - L Wing - $4 milD. Markov - D - $2.5 milWalz - Center - $1.5 milI would stick with Shanahan and Markov. We need to strengthen our D and get more physical. I hope to see less of Peters and more of Kaleta. The Sabres need to play "old-time" physical hockey. We have very few fragile stars left to protect. This year we add GRIT TO THE SPEED.
More About: Running , Options , Opti

Sabres Loses their "C"s
2007-07-02 04:34:00
It was a tough afternoon for Sabres fans. Losing Briere I could handle. Philly paying $52 million for a fragile player like Briere. I have a feeling that Briere is going to pull a McKee and get injured the first weeks of the regular season.Drury on the other hand just killed me. I was at a party and the radio was on in the background and then they announced that Drury that went to the Rangers. That was tough. I really thought that Darcy would step up and give Drury a decent offer. The highest offer I believe from the Sabres was only a 5 year, $30 milllion deal. You think that $6 million a year would go a lot further in Buffalo than $7 million would in the Big Apple.I not going to blame this completely on Darcy. He had the chance to talk with his captains earlier in the season, before the season, or even during the season. Instead, he waited until a day before they became free agents. This free agency is not over yet.Who is left for the Sabres?Micheal Nylander - $4.25 milB...

NHL Free Agency Tracker
2007-07-01 23:00:00
Keep checking upFive Hours into the Free Agency UPDATEEarlier Post that keeps Updating
More About: Free agency , Tracker , Trac

Briere signs with Philly
2007-07-01 22:25:00
The former Sabres Co-Captain, Daniel Briere signs with the Philadelphia Flyers. He will get a 8 year $52 million contract with $10 million next year and a part of the deal is a no movement clause making sure that he will be a Flyer for the next 8 years.It is very obvious that one of his main motives to pick which team to be on in the future was which one would he stay at the longest. 8 years is a long time and should be enough for his boys to get through high school.I'm glad that if Briere had to go somewhere it is to Philly because I have a ton of friends who like the Flyers and I made a bet with my buddy that if he was leaving, he would go to the Flyers. $20. Not bad money.Now I am curious to see how much we will devote to Drury. It seems there are about 4 teams fighting for 2 players. LA Kings, Buffalo, Colorado Avs, and NY Rangers fighting for Scott Gomez and Chris Drury. ANother team that might join the list is Montreal because they were unable to ink Briere.Still no w...
More About: Signs

Five Hours into the Free Agency UPDATE
2007-07-01 19:33:00
I cannot stand these hours where I am not hearing anything about the Sabres. It is so nerve wracking but I have a good feeling about signing Drury and another big name.All Update s are bolded2007 Free Agency SigningsAnaheim- Signs defenseman Mathieu Schneider for two years, $11.5 million.Atlanta- Re-signed Pascal Dupuis for 1-year, $880,000. Signed center Todd White (Wild) for four years, $9.5 million.Boston- Acquired G Manny Fernandez from Minnesota for Petr Kalus and a mid-round draft pick (TSN).Buffalo- Re-signed Adam Mair for three years, $2.25 million.Calgary- The Hockey News is reporting that Jarome Iginla will sign a four or five-year extension with the Flames. Signed defenseman Cory Sarich (TB) to five-year, $18 million deal.Detroit- Signed defenseman Brian Rafalski (NJD) to five-year, $30 million deal.Florida- Sign winger Richard Zednik (NYI) to a two-year deal worth $3.25 million, and forward Brett McLean (COL) to three-year deal worth $5.4 million.Los Angeles- Re-signed...
More About: Free agency , Hour

Sabres sign Mair
2007-06-30 22:05:00
According to WGR550, Adam Mair has signed with the Sabres for the next 3 years and had a slight raise from his previous salary of $675,000.It's about time the Sabres signed someone this year. I was wondering if Golisano wanted a little extra cash this year so the Sabres had no money to sign players with.I'm sure there will be much more action today and tomorrow before noon. Keep it locked.********************************** *************************************Mair UpdateAdam Mair's new three year contract will net him 2.275-million dollars. Mair will make $750,000 in each of the first two years and $775,000 in the final year of the deal. The forward's cap hit will be $758,333.
More About: Sign