Buffalo Boy's Blog
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February 2011 Archives
What I Did Instead of Watching The Sabres
I promised that I wouldn't watch, not for the remainder of the regular season anyway. So I didn't. I started today not watching the rest of the Sabres regular season. I am not going to watch again until either A) They make the playoffs or B) They trade both Tim Connolly and Craig Rivet which ever comes first.
So today, I had some extra time on my hands and I wanted to let everyone know that with all this extra time I got some things accomplished.
Today I slept because I have a double ear infection and felt like crap, I slept through about the first half the game, then I got up and finished some work from being on call yesterday. That was production compared to sitting there watching them only score one goal or less again for the third straight game and lose their third in a row.
For those of you still suffering through it and watching them, trust me there is more to life. Baseball season is starting soon, the weather should be getting better soon. Keep watching for updates on what I did instead of watching the Sabres!
Category: Buffalo Sabres Hockey
Darcy: Its Okay to Trade Before the Deadline
If you saw the article in the sports section of the Buffalo News this morning about the intentions of Darcy Regier at the trade deadline it made you probably furious over this mans lack of ability to make a deal.
Is it not the job of the GM to recognize when his coach and his team needs help and to find a way to get the players that will help?
For what ever reason Darcy Regier feels as if he can't pull off a trade prior to trade deadline day to HELP his team. In the paper today he said basically the next four games prior to deadline day will dictate what they do on the trade deadline whether they buy or sell.
Well, Darcy, you had a hot team prior to three games ago, wouldn't you think that if you were going to make a move it would be to help this team over the hump and get them into the playoffs instead of waiting for a two game losing streak to become a three game and after today a three game losing streak to become a four game? You had one of the three hottest teams in the league since December, your job is to do something to keep that ball rolling.
Better yet, where were you back in November when this team was struggling? Why didn't you make a move back then? I'll bet you could have gotten Thomas Kaberle back in September or October a lot cheaper than the Bruins got him for this past week and he would have helped Tyler Myers with his struggles early on.
How about not waiting till trade deadline and buy now, go out and get some dead weight off this team like Tim Connolly and Craig Rivet and try to maybe make a move that will help this team down the stretch. You don't have to be a buyer or a seller...you can do both and improve the team. The longer you go without doing anything though the more I think the trades you used to make were just luck. I mean come on Chris Gratton for Daniel Briere? Mike Wilson turned into Chris Drury....you weren't that good, and the recent years have shown it by getting such lame ducks as Dominic Moore and Raffi Torres.
Darcy, prove me wrong, make this team better before deadline day. This team needs you to be a GM with some foresight for once and make a move to help this roster into the playoffs not one to preserve the future. You always preserve the future. Spend a little of that future and get this team into the playoffs. If not, may Terry Pegula dismiss you as early as March 1st.
Category: Buffalo Sabres Hockey
Pharmacist Hours
Yesterday I got done working around 7 pm and had a script for an antibiotic I had gotten earlier in the day from the doctor and figured that Rite Aid is open until 9, I will stop and get it filled on my way home.
So, I stopped at Rite Aid on Buffalo Ave. in Niagara Falls and the pharmacy was closed.....curious, Rite Aid "Pharmacy" is still open but no pharmacist is staffed until closing.
I figured well they are a smaller Rite Aid, Ill drive to the bigger one on Niagara Falls Blvd. Walk in, again the store closes at 9, its a little after 7 and the Pharmacy.....CLOSED.
I decided to try Walmart, again no pharmacist....though here I can understand, Walmart isn't a stand alone pharmacy, its not their primary business.
So, in a last ditch effort I headed down Pine Ave to downtown Niagara Falls, Walgreens.....same thing, no pharmacist, yet they close.....at 10 PM
One last stop, a large, brand new Rite Aid across the street....they close at 9....and at the 5th stop I lucked out. Pharmacy was open till 8 PM, it was 7:55 when I walked in the door.
So that brings up a question: Shouldn't there be a pharmacist on duty with the pharmacy open as long as Rite Aid/Walgreens or what ever "Pharmacy" it may be is open? The name of the store is Rite Aid "Pharmacy" as a customer I assume as long as the store is open you are providing the services of a pharmacist.
I guess that would make too much sense.
Category: Miscellaneous
Why Bother?
What the fuck was that steaming pile of crap last night? Hell, the last two nights. Drew Stafford figures he better not try too hard we might expect too much out of him. Unfortunately Tim Connolly was still in the line up last night as well, The sooner he is off the team the better.
Why do I even care at this point. Every boo they heard last night they deserved. How dare they come out two games in a row and play like they don't care. Well, if they don't care, and obviously our GM doesn't otherwise moves would have been made in November when we all knew this team sucked, then why should we. I'm done watching this crap. Let me know when its April and baseball season starts.
Category: Buffalo Sabres Hockey
Miller Can't Be Tired
I'm sorry, I usually respect what Mike Schopp and Bulldog have to say and the general vibe on WGR but listening today and reading about Miller's run in with reporters after the game yesterday made me sick.
Stop stirring up controversy when there is none. Ryan Miller yes, he had a bad game yesterday but look at the goals he gave up. This team has been awful in front of him all season. Even their best wins featured horrendous play making resulting in plays that makes the hair on your arms stand up.
I haven't watched a game this year where I haven't seen at least several turn overs either in their own end directly ending in scoring chances or goals or turnovers off of dipsy doodle behind the back passes made by Tim Connolly and even though offensively he was having a good season...Derek Roy. Is it any wonder this team started a hot streak after Roy went down for the season? Its one less turnover machine at center ice for the defense and Miller to worry about.
So, if you watched yesterday for every lead this team had, they had that many turnovers and defensive break downs in front of Miller to give that game away to the Islanders.
Which leads into my next point and the title of this post: Miller can't be tired. Think about this for a second. Look at this teams schedule since late November. Miller has played 31 games in a row since then. Six times they have played back to back nights and they have had a six day break from November 27th to December 3rd, unheard of unless its an All Star break, a four day break around Christmas and from January 25th to February 4th they had a 10 day break around the All Star break, and Miller didn't play in the All Star game, so there was no hockey for him.
Since that All Star break they have had back to back games only once. So don't tell me that Ryan Miller is tired. The media needs to check the schedule, look at the pace of last year which was seemingly non stop for Miller and realize the amount of hockey this guy has played has not been what has made him seem average some nights including last night. Its been the team in front of him.
How many games this season do you think Ryan Miller has wanted to shove the wide end of his goalie stick up Tim Connolly's and Craig Rivet's arses is beyond me. Believe me they are not the only two, every single player on this team is guilty of poor defensive play including a ill advised pass by a usually dependable Paul Gaustad yesterday.
I don't blame Lindy Ruff for playing Miller, last year we saw Ryan Miller play unbelievable hockey despite a massive work load. This year he has looked average because the team in front of him is average. If anything he has stolen some games for them over the last 20 or so games that has gotten them back into shouting distance and with a real chance to make the playoffs.
Add to the fact that the Sabres have played 3-5 fewer games than just about everyone in the conference and you can't say Miller is tired. You just can't. Should Lalime have played more? Maybe, but we need to stop being so judgemental over Ruff's handling of the goalies, this team has had to be in desparation mode since December after a horrendous start. In order to get to where they are now, just three or four points out of a playoff spot, they had to be the best team in the league for the last 20 or so games.....they have been, thanks in large part to Miller who has covered up for their defensive flaws and offensive zone give aways.
Miller can't be tired physically, but the team in front of him is probably making him sick to his stomach nightly.
Category: Buffalo Sabres Hockey
Greatest Movie Insults
Category: Movies
Grey Cell Green Live
I haven't posted anything music wise on BBM in quite some time so in honor of the Green Bay Packers, I found this live Ned's Atomic Dustbin which may be my favorite song with the word "green" in it.
Ned's Atomic Dustbin- Grey Cell Green:
Category: Music
Congratulations James Starks!!!!
Congratulations to James Starks and the Green Bay Packers. I have to say, after this season with the Bills and the Browns my two favorite teams stinking up the joint, I got to watching the Green Bay Packers, I had Aaron Rodgers as my quarterback in my fantasy league and loved watching him and then Niagara Falls native and UB graduate James Starks was brought in.
After Starks started playing I started watching them every week down the stretch and he was one of the top running backs in the NFC over the last several weeks of the regular season and led all running backs in rushing yards for the postseason. I don't know if he will be the starter in Green Bay next fall but hes worth giving the ball to as a change up kind of guy and could make a difference.
Yesterday he had 50 yards, not a huge day, but he did have a couple of runs that extended drives that would have been dead had he not gotten those runs in and he ran with a purpose when he got the ball. He definitely plays bigger than his size and runs with some aggressiveness. It was nice to see and lets face it, when you have a quarterback throwing the ball like Rodgers does, 50 yards on the ground sometimes isn't such a bad day.
I actually started to like Green Bay this year, They deserve full marks and Starks deserves a lot of the attention he is getting, its nice to have a local kid have that kind of success especially since it was unexpected.
Category: Sports
Francis Would Be Pissed
Francis Scott Key, he has been dead for a while, but could you imagine if he were still around to hear disaster after disaster of his song that became our national anthem? All too often its treated as a joke that we get famous celebrities some good singers and some not so good to go out and essentially butcher the song. Last nigth, did anyone other than me hear Christina start singing the thing and think "Damn, the game isn't going to start for 15 minutes?" I did.
From Rosanne Barr's hideous vocals to Ozzy Osborne at the Cubs game to last night, Christina Aguilera, don't get me wrong she has a great voice, she can sing, but get it right.
Don't just get the lyrics right but sing the song it was meant to be sung. Don't add notes where they don't need to be added. The Star Spangled Banner is a good song all by itself without having some pop star try to do it in their own way.
I have watched thousands of regular season and playoff hockey games and not once have I heard the run of the mill anthem singer try to make either the Canadian National Anthem or the American National Anthem something its not. Its bigger than any star that can get up there and try to do it like it was their own. Its not their own, it belongs to me, you and every other US citizen and it should be sung straight up.
It was meant to be sung at a specific cadence if you will and not be......glamorized for lack of a better word by X pop star in a national spotlight. Don't turn a minute and a half national anthem into a 5 minute pop song, no pop star is that big to have that right. Just sing the anthem the way it was meant to be sung.
Who is to blame when things like last night happen? I blame the NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA and other major events for allowing it and saying to these stars, your job is to use your voice and sing it the way it was supposed to be sung, don't turn the thing into something its not, something the writer, Francis Scott Key would probably be pretty pissed at right now. There are plent of professional anthem singers that sing the thing on a nightly basis at everyday sporting events who would love to be in Christna's shoes last night and they would have done a much better job than what she ended up doing.
She fucked up, she sounded good doing it, but she fucked up, and she deserved to fuck up, as does any singer who turns our national anthem into something that its not meant to be. Just sing the damn song.
Category: Music | Television
Over The Top Patriotism
Did anyone else find the reading of the Declaration of Independence before the start of the game a little over the top? Or at least wierd?Sing the National Anthem...correctly mind you, and play friggin ball. Besides Baseball is still America's true pastime
Category: Sports | Television
The Hipocrites of the Healthcare Mandate
There are a lot of repukes who need to explain why they thought mandates on purchasing health insurance was a good idea back in the 90's and up until President Obama and the democrats included in their healthcare bill and then all of a sudden individual mandates are no good.
It wasn't unconstitutional when Mitt Romney was governor of Massachusetts to require it via a state mandate and even suggested that it was the "Model" of reform on a federal level, but then as soon as it was used in the bill passed by Obama its "unconstitutional".
Big Eddie, Ed Schultz hit on it tonight on the Ed Show as well as the list of other repukes who supported the idea along with Romney:
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Category: Politics | healthcare
Change Is Coming....
Finally, the ownership changes hands as of tomorrow! Terry Pegula will be the new owner of the Buffalo Sabres and hopefully changes are coming. Im in favor of changes too, but not necessarily the changes local sports talk and media have been clamoring for. Im looking for some changes to the roster first and foremost.
I still think Darcy Regier is a good GM despite recent years, remember though he couldn't keep the leadership on the ice together he did bring it here in the first place for those playoff runs and he is certainly capable of doing it again under new ownership with the means to help him do it.
I also think Lindy Ruff should stay on even though today it was made known that he refused a contract extension earlier this year, I think its more for Ruff to wait and see how things go into the offseason with the new owner before he commits to more time under Darcy Regier. Hes got to know that the players he has will be upgraded. Considering what Ruff has to work with can you blame him for struggling to get this team into the playoffs this year?
Before you change one thing about the GM or coach, new ownership should look at the following players either at the trade deadline or this offseason:
1. Tim Connolly: He is awful, he has been damaged goods for the better part of the last three or four years now. He has had his moments but most of those moments are coughing up pucks making dipsy doodle plays that do nothing more that save him from taking a hit to his fragile frame. I would hope that he is tradeable at the trade deadline but I can't think of a team desparate enough to take him unless you need a guy to do no more than man the point on the power play, then maybe you take a chance, and then I'd be happy be a very late round draft pick for Connolly.
2. Craig Rivet: How he is still captain is beyond me, he has never lived up to the "C" on his chest and last year and all of this year his age and immobility have resulted in a fragile defenseman who has not adatped to the fact that his skills are diminishing. That makes him a liability when he plays, he may rival Connolly for coughing up pucks, but its not for making fancy plays, its because Rivet is just slow and unable to win the battles he used to.
3. Thomas Vanek/Ryan Miller: Trade one of them. I say trade Miller. He is probably the player with the most value on the team and would bring in the most at the deadline/offseason. Yeah I know Im crazy but if you haven't won the cup with these two then its time to maybe retool. If you can upgrade at the draft by trading Miller do it. Id prefer to keep Vanek because Nick Foligno and Zack Kassian will help clear some ice for Vanek, that could be a very nice looking line in the fall.
4. Mike Grier: I have defended him left and right but Im done defending him, hes been invisible for the most part, even the checking part of his game isn't as noticeable and thats why I enjoyed watching him even last year. Hes still got value for a team looking for a fourth line guy for the playoffs so Grier should be a deadline move.
5. Rob Neidermayer: Sorry Rob, I think we really wanted your brother. Seriously, as a third line center he should have more than NO goals. He should be at least considered a threat to score at times as your third line center and really, right now, I consider him a joke that hes even playing, but they have to play him until hes traded, maybe for a team looking for a veteran for the playoffs you can pawn him off for only to take the rest of his salary this season.
After those moves are made, bring up the youth and see what happens. Honestly, the playoffs are a pipe dream, they have been since December, I realize they are playing good hockey lately with 9 wins in the last 13, but where has it gotten them? Still 6 or so points out with teams to climb over.
With the ownership change players are going to be distracted and there are going to be off nights ahead until a direction is established. Changes are coming and its about time.
Category: Buffalo Sabres Hockey
