A case for Cowher Time: Buffalo Version

Dick Jauron is staying in Buffalo for another year, and much to the dismay of common sense he is signed until 2011 even though he is the sole reason that the Bills are not in the playoffs. This team has the young talent to make the playoffs, but seem to be missing one integral piece of the ever changing puzzle. This piece has become easily identifiable over the past 10 games, with things like game management, the easiest training camp in the NFL, and an attitude that seems more grandparent like then head coach like. For nine years the Bills have been no better then the Detroit Lions, I’m serious. It shows me that to Ralph Wilson, 7-9 is good enough, and that’s what separates the Bills from other, playoff bound, organizations. Eric Mangini was fired from the Jets after going 9-7, but if Dick Jauron went 9-7 Ralph would most likely make him coach for life, speaking of which, former Denver Broncos “coach for life” Mike Shanahan was given the axe after finishing 8-8 and missing the playoffs for three straight years. Imagine how much trouble very Bills coach would be in if Ralph Wilson followed the same standards.
So what is the answer? The Bills play dead men football with an uninspired coach and a bunch of people who don’t care about winning unless they get paid. Who could possibly be the Buffalo savior if not Jauron? Well if I could just steal Cleveland’s thunder for a second [and who hasn’t been doing that in the last 40 or so years] and make a call to one Bill Cowher , and officially declare it Cowher time in Buffalo. It makes perfect sense , Cowher wants to go to a team with a young base already built. Enter the three headed monster of Edwards, Evans, and Lynch who are all three not yet in their primes. He has a team with a playoff caliber core, and if Ralph Wilson has any brains left in his 90 year old head he will give full personal duties to Cowher. Who would you rather have picking your players, Russ Brandon or Bill Cowher? I would pick the ladder. Cowher also expressed an interest in going to a city that he likes, and while I don’t know his personal feelings on Buffalo as a city, if you can live in Pittsburgh you come to appreciate a city like Buffalo. A tough, grind it out, cold city. If you like Pittsburgh then you will probably find Buffalo just as charming. While Cowher has not expressed interest in coaching in 2009 we have seen sparks of intrigue at mentions of the Browns and Jets, but the Bills are a more perfect fit. The Jets are too old, the Browns to bad, the Bills are a piece away. Bill Cowher will put these guys through a real training camp, you know, one with two a days and stuff. If you notice the Bills last three 7-9 seasons they have all shown bursts of unbridled potential, the first two years it came after the half way point when the Bills would play flawless after a disastrous start, and then this year they started 5-1 before going 2-8 in the last 10. God looking at that makes me just want to throw up in my hand and throw it at someone. The Loins weren’t much worse in the last ten, and if your compared to the Lions twice in the same post you know something is wrong. The Bills haven’t had the strength to play a full season in the last three years. It does not take a genius to realize that the Bills have one of the easiest training camps in the NFL while I bet there are war stories not as gruesome as some of the stuff that comes out of a Cowher camp. That would be what the Bills need, someone to remind them that it has been nine god damn years since they made the playoffs.

Mike Shanahan would also be a nice fit, he’s a guy who will yell when you need to yell, and act professional when the time dictates, he is another guy that Ralph is going to want to give full responsibilities to. There is a reoccurring theme that I’ve noticed in this post, the fact that Russ Brandon is NOT the right guy to give control of an NFL franchise. That’s all I’ll say about that, other then GET HIS ASS OUT OF THERE FOR CHRIST’S SAKE! Now I’m done. When I herd that a decision would be made on Wednesday I was almost excited, but then they made an announcement 24 hours before they where supposed to, what eats at me is that I thought the Bills would take after the model of our president elect and focus on change. What has happened in the last nine years that would make Ralph think his football model is working? Why on God’s green earth would you not change things up? It has been nine long years, change should have happened a while ago.

Just a thought.

Tex For Christmas

The reports where sure fired guarantees, at any moment the off season’s jewel slugger was about to call the city of Boston his new home and jack the Red Sox to the preseason throne of the A.L East. It was bound to happen, sure to happen! It didn’t happen, but the fact that it didn’t happen does not eat away at Red Sox fans but the team that did sign him sure does. Tex is going to be wearing pinstripes this spring instead of an old English B on his forehead and the difference was $12 Million. That’s $12 Million that says to the people of Boston, sure we want to win, but not really THAT much. Let’s face it, Yankees management cares, if that’s a problem then sports is really going down the tube. The Mets play in the same market but don’t really feel like spending enough, the Red Sox have developed a national following the is beginning to rival the Yankee’s , but always seem to come up $12 Million short. [A-rod in ‘04 and now this]The Royals owner [David Glass] owns Wall Mart for Christ’s sake! He bathes in thousand dollar bills, he’s practically as rich as Jesus and he can’t afford to thrown 2% of his fortune at making the Royals competitive? Because he pockets every dime he makes and doesn’t feel like throwing the team a bone, and that, believe it or not, is not the fault of the Yankees. Stu Sternberg [ Ray’s owner] made a fortune and a half in the stock market but Tampa, although they won the American League, can’t afford to spend more money then the Yankees do on the left side of the infield. Sports richest owner resides in Minneapolis [yes poor, small market Minnesota] as Carl Pohlad keeps a closed wallet and just pockets the cash he makes from running the Twins. He is said to be worth $1.8 Billion, more then enough to go out and try to get Tex.

The Yankees go out and spend more money then any other team, but don’t actually say that out loud because your missing the point by a huge margin. The Yankees in reality have no more money then any other team, the Steinbrenner family is probably not even in the top half of richest owners in baseball, because for every dollar that they make of owning the Yankees 100 cents goes back into making the franchise a well oiled winning machine. People who say the Yankees spend too much money are looserist, people who apparently think that there is a problem with wanting to win. The Yankees want to win and fans who have balls-less owners always cry and complain about it. If David Glass wanted to go out and offer Mark Teixeira $200 Million he easily could, and then he could turn around and offer C.C Sabathia another $200 Million and still not dive into half his fortune, but I guess he doesn’t think that Kansas City deserves a winner.

In a previous post I said that after signing C.C Sabathia and A.J Burnett the Yankees need to win the world series or some people should be fired. The Yankees possible pitching rotation looks like this:
C.C. Sabathia
A.J Burnett
Chein-Ming Wang
Joba Chamberlin
Andy Pettite [ possibly]

And the lineup:

1.Johnny Damon
2. Derek Jeter
3. Mark Teixeira
4. Alex Rodriguez
5. Hideki Matsui
6. Jorge Posada
7.Robinson Cano
8.Nick Swisher
9. Melky Cabrera

I’m sorry but if your Joe Girardi and you do not win it all with that lineup then find a job somewhere else. Tex is good for 7 years of hitting over .315 and has 5 more gold gloves in him, C.C has won a Cy Young in the A.L and Burnett has ace stuff when healthy, Girardi has to understand that this is his chance to show us that he deserves to be a Yankee. I love how the Red Sox had to take almost a month to get Teixeira to almost sign with them but the Yankees submitted an offer at noon today and had the deal done in four hours. It’s the difference between the Yankees and Red Sox I guess, the Red Sox try to poke and prod at clients while the Yankees do whatever they can to sign them.

So it turns out that Sabathia and Burnett where the opening act, and Tex the main attraction, all I know is this, there is a new favorite in the A.L, and the pre season throne is back where it belongs, in the Bronx.

Just a thought.

The 'Blueprint"

The Cashman, Steinbrenner doctrine is back in full swing as both C.C Sabathia [$161 Million] and A.J Burnett [$85 Million] got introduced in the “old” Yankee Stadium and so the bar has been set, if you are going to spend $246 Million on two pitchers then you better be delivering a world series. Now I know that you have to add in the New York spotlight, but the Yankees went against the wisdom of their own yesteryears that included one or two modest free agent signings and minor league development to win. Then the storm known as Brian Cashman came along, spending all the money in his wake, and while he won three world titles with Bob Watson’s leftovers he also wrecked what could have been the greatest dynasty known to man, one that reminded us of the 40’s or 50’s, but instead he pursued [in part due to orders by George Steinbrenner] high priced aging veterans that had never won a thing. Look how Jason Giambi ended up, Hideki Matsui has never won a world series, the Randy Johnson disaster is on my list of the top ten blunders of all time, you get where I’m going?

What I’m getting at is that New York is a place of extremes. Jason Giambi got off to a hot start and was referred to casually as the “Giambino” which is kind of a heft tag for someone who has STILL never won a ring. Fast forward to the end of this disaster and he was getting booed out of town. People confuse New York as a town that will never except superstars when this is quite the contrary, sometimes this place excepts stars that other cities might not if they had the batch to choose from that we do. We choose to worship Derek Jeter and resent Alex Rodriguez, even though A-Rod hits three or four times the amount of home runs and rakes a ton more RBI, their contracts are pretty close but there is a difference, Jeter doesn’t feel like an intruder. He won four rings, and was drafted by the Yankees. Notice a trend? Who do Yankee fans hold above all others? Jorge Posada, a former farmhand, Mariano Rivera was signed in 1990 by a Yankee scout to the Yankees farm system. We support Yankees who have always been Yankees.

Now does that mean it is impossible for CC and Burnett to gain acceptance in New York? No, many have thrived in the spotlight after leaving their farm towns. Paul O’Neill is one of my favorite Yankees of all time and he left Cincinnati after winning a world title and playing for 8 years. David Cone was successful with the cross town rival Mets and he was an all time favorite in the pinstripes. Tino Martinez was taken out of Seattle a couple of months after beating the Yankees in the 1995 playoffs. What was the difference with these guys and Giambi and A-Rod is one fundamental thing, besides the fact that they played as hard as humanly possible whenever they where call upon they all won FOUR rings. Want to know how to survive as a free agent with tons of pressure? WIN WIN WIN and WIN! New Yorkers love winners of world series, our definition of winning is different then Milwaukee’s. A world series is the end all be all, and with all the money thrown at CC and Burnett they better win it all, or I want people [ plural] fired. So to recap, go against what worked for years if you must, but win or find your ass a new job.

Just a thought.

Orange Empire
Syracuse has been in the news more then the usual, especially on ESPN. A scandal involving your best basketball player and getting a new coach will do that to you, and while I would rather ESPN talk about the ‘Cuse being ranked 13th in the country as opposed to their best player NOT hitting a young female, press is press.

That would be a good place to start, the fact that the JRB is a joke organization. Can anyone bring forth evidence that Devendorf actually struck this female? Well three eye witnesses can say that he did NOT hit her, what does this girl have to back up her ridiculous claims? I hope at least a sign that she actually got hit, but no serious damage visible. Well I hope she called the police right away, but that never happened either. Ok but she had to except medical treatment, I mean this thug who is only good for dribbling a ball hit her for Christ’s sake! Wait, no she didn’t do that either because she was too wasted. I know Devendorf is supposed to be a pampered athlete and this case is supposed to send a message, but no one has a shred of evidence to support this “poor victim”. Would it have been smart too just walk away from the conflict? [which according to eyewitness accounts was started by her, not Devendorf] Yes it would have, and Devendorf might want to consider anger management as suggested by coach Boheim but should not be suspended for getting into a yelling match. If we all lost our jobs for getting into a verbal tussle with someone then the economy would really be in the shoots because all our jobs would be lost. Yelling at a drunk girl is not grounds for being suspended for a basketball season. Boeheim sure does have a situation on his hands, but in watching him talk to the media it is refreshing to see him back Devendorf in full, Jimmy B. sees Devendorf as more then a thug.

It baffles me how people view the justice system, I have had people tell me that just because he is a pampered athlete that he should be suspended, damn the facts. I’ve had people admit to me that the evidence does not come close to lining up, but because the justice system favors “men who bring home the money” that he should be suspended. I go back to the Duke case to explain a motive for this girl to set up Devendorf, some people will do anything for attention. The Duke case ended with the girl being exposed and hopefully this happens in this instance.

The other reason that we have seen more of the Hill in the news is that a new coach has graced us with his presence. Now at first glance Doug Marrone looks like a Greg Robinson part two, a coordinator who has never been a head coach before, and yes Turner Gill looks like a better choice right now but I feel cautious optimism about this guy because he doesn’t seem like a guy who is filled with quirky clichés that every coach uses. He is not only an alum but also grew up in Syracuse and genuinely seems like he wants nothing more then success for the program. When introduced he could not stop gushing about how this was the greatest day of his career, and anyone who will leave warm and high octane New Orleans for cold and dismal Syracuse has to be committed. I stand by my comment that Turner Gill would be a much better candidate but I think Marrone can lay a solid groundwork for a possible program revival.

Just a thought

Baseball preview

Hear that sound? It's the sound of Tim Kurkjan's squeaky voice at high noon, the crisp voice of Jon Miller welcoming America to Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN, it's the roar of that opening day crowd, we'll not hear another roar like that until the bone chilling months of October. The sound your hearing is the sound of another baseball season starting up and 30 teams believing full heartedly that they can, and will, win the World Series this year. It's the sound baseball fans hear from Canada all the way down to Miami, through the windy Midwest where there hasn't been a world title in 100 years [Chicago] and all the way out to the pacific waters of Southern California. It's time for baseball season, and it's the greatest time of the year.

It's also the time when the experts break out their stat sheets and try to pick who will come out of each division. Of course there is always the Detroit Tigers of 2004 or Florida Marlins of 2006 who no one thinks will win more then 60 games and they make startling runs, maybe even to the postseason. I'm about to attempt to do what Baseball Tonight does every spring, pick the divisions team by team, with grades and comments in each, and hopefully pick a world champion.It will limited to one division per post, so this could drag out, but for today, the AL East.

A.L East

1. Boston Red Sox

Rec: 98-64

It pains me to say that I think Boston will repeat, but offense wins regular season games. I don't think the staff is as strong as last year, as we have seen in spring, they have all gotten a year older. We all know that means that they will all be more prone to injury [hence Curt Shilling being out for a couple of months]. I've been saying it for years that I don't think Boston can keep up with the Yankees young pitching but that offense will have enough staying power to win games. This is still a wide open race and the Yankees will be in first place pro ably for a good portion of the season.

2. New York Yankees

Rec: 95-67

This could change, the pitching is invigorated with young, fresh prospects that balance out the experienced veterans. Phil Hughes is the next Roger Clemens, he has stuff that makes major leaguers cringe, and ice water in his veins. You will find yourself asking yourself, how old is that guy again? And proceed to answer yourself in astonishment with," He's only 21!" and that excites all Yankee fans from Yonkers to Fresno. The offense is not quite as fiery as Boston but it is not exactly a feather weight either.

3. Toronto Blue Jays

Rec: 86-76

The team that will always be the middle child of the A.L East. Still not enough talent to compete with Boston and New York but still not bad enough to be down in Baltimore and Tampa territory. The pitching has a great one-two punch in Halladay and Burnet, but after that the whole staff goes south quick, including the bullpen. The offense is average at best, when your biggest power threat is three or four years past his prime [Frank Thomas] but the rest is ok, you won't win in a division with two of the best offensives baseball has ever known.

4. Tampa Bay Rays

Rec: 78-83

By far the best season in franchise history, they will be the Detroit Tigers if this year. With so much young talent they can't make a huge move right now but will be right up there with Toronto by next year or so. Carl Crawford is already the best player the franchise has had since Wade Boggs or Tino Martinez. Scott Kazmir and the young pitching will also make noise but they need a little bit more punch in the back part of the rotation and bullpen before we can officially put them in the same group as Toronto.

5. Baltimore Orioles

Rec: 59-103

This will be ugly. They lost the only thing keeping them out of last place last year in Erik Bedard [who killed the Yanks last year] by sending him to Seattle. The other pitching, well, let's not go there. Same thing can be said about he "offense" or lack there of. They have a messy situation down in Baltimore and need some help fixing it, management change would be nice if the Orioles are to realize their glory days once again.

The A.L East is going to be a two team race once again, as both Boston and New York have stacked lineups and Toronto and Tampa Bay being a couple of years away, it looks like the dominance of this division is once again going to be between the greatest rivalry in sports.

The worst day

It's been hyped as the biggest game of the regular season for the Syracuse Orange, the Saturday tip off against #20 Marquette was scheduled for Noon and a win would pull the Orange closer to an at large bid in the Big Dance. So of course I'm pumped up in an unhealthy way for this huge game, which is the way I usually get for big games, and ready to explode. Just one problem. After watching College Gameday I went down stairs to get some food and came back to see a horrifying sight: Princeton vs. Virginia in some good, old fashioned, college Lacrosse. College Lacrosse? Now I think Lacrosse is a fine sport and all, but I wanted to see some Golden Eagle beat down, not learn how the prestigious Tigers offense works. I switched to every possible channel, even checking CNN [ can you say desperate] , but none of them had my Orange.

After checking ESPN I found that the game had been switched to four o'clock. Why still baffles me but at the time I thought at least I was going to be able to see the game. Then the cable blew. Your first thought when the cable blows out is, why? Why did it blow? Well Ithaca had been hit by its usual storm in March that I call the "What the…?" storm. You have no idea what is coming down other then it is: 1. Wet, 2. Cold, and 3. It comes at the WORST TIME! There is your meteorology lesson for the day. So we had branch that had too much ice on it and fell right on our cable line. Ok I thought, I have 3 hours [this was at One in case that wasn't clear] the cable will be back in time, right? Two o'clock passes, then three, and its almost four and I am ready to explode again but In the worst way. So I try to wait it out, but it's after 4:30 and I still got nothing. The clock finally hits 5 and then after a couple of minutes I do my two minute check of the cable and this time, there is picture! Sound! Color! The 'Cuse! And even better? Syracuse is up 36-31. This is looking good. Then it happens, with about 15 minutes left in the game all Hell broke loose and Franz Ferdinand was assassinated, and our whole house lost power. They could prop ably hear my scream from the hill. This had to be a joke right? No cable, ok I could always check the game online, but no power? Now I know how colonial people lived and trust me, when I came out of the womb I did not sign up for that. No where in my contract did it say "must live like we are in the 18^th century" no, never said that. So that was bad enough that I was living in an Amish paradise, but now I had to miss the game? What was worse is for a minute the power kept coming on and off every 10 seconds or so for the first minute. It was as though God was enjoying the sight of me squirming around every time the power came back on just to see me crumble every time it went off.

Then it got really interesting. After some family stories, our power flickered on at about 8. This time it was for more then 10 seconds it was about two minutes, however, my father was in the middle of a interesting story about one of our cousins so I didn't think to get up and check the score of the game. As I was about too, what happened? The power goes off again. Of course. Hey, lets chop of my arm while we're at it! If you have never experienced a power outage, then I envy you. In the modern 21^st century life that we have come accustomed to, it's tough to live without you 40 inch HDTV and your new computer. Much less light and a decent shower.

So I got another quick glimpse of what life is like in Upstate New York. Will it ever change? Of course not, that would be to easy.

Stop this before it goes to far

This has got to stop. Right now, because I can't take it anymore. The greatest tragedy in sports history is about to happen and what are we as Americans doing about it? Nothing, absolutely nothing. And no, I'm not talking about steroids, spygate [ Matt Walsh] or the tennis betting scandal [ who cares? It's tennis!] no I am referring to the Bills possible move to Toronto.

Fooled ya, didn't I? You prop ably though I was going to talk about Roger Clemens or something. Well no, this means twenty times more to me then Roger Clemens ever will. The Buffalo Bills are as good as sold to a group of Toronto based investors as soon as Ralph Wilson decides to sell the team. Are you listening? The Bills could be moving to… gulp, CANADA! Are you kidding me? What did we do to deserve this? This is so wrong on to many levels to mention, but the biggest is the fans. Having a team move is one thing that I will never wish on a sports fan, even those idiots in Boston. No, they don't even deserve this and that is a stretch for me to admit. Especially a team that the town loves the way that Buffalo loves the Bills. It's like taking away baseball from all of America and putting in right smack In the middle of Russia, with teams making brief appearances in China, you take away the Bills from culture in Buffalo and put them in the one place that I don't think any American wants Football. Canada just doesn't play Football, that's the bottom line, end of story. They have their own cute little CFL to keep them occupied between hockey season and Baseball season [ another sport that should not be played in Canada]. They don't need the NFL.

That is beside the point that I would prop ably give a Canadian Football team 2 years before they tank worst then the Sabers did before Golisano came in and fixed things up. About half the city of Toronto will be behind this after the first couple of games when excitement has reached a fever pitch, then will tumble back down. You notice how half of the Rogers Centre is empty and you can hear a pin drop during Blue Jays games? That will be the atmosphere after home game number three I guarantee it. But surely the Bills will find ways to get other fans right? So wrong. The Bills have absolutely no national audience. The fans you see wearing all the Bills gear? From Buffalo/Western/Upstate New York, and trust me, those fans are NOT coming along for the little Toronto joy ride. You move the team and those fans are prop ably moving to a team downstate. Football will not sell enough in Toronto if half the stadium [if you call the "Rogers Centre" a stadium, or public place] is empty. In baseball it works just enough if the team is winning, the Blue Jays have won World Series and in the past years have been decent, but in football you need a packed Stadium to keep your market going strong, and that will not happen in Toronto, a place where once the Maple Leafs begin playing people will be asking how you play football in that town.

What is embarrassing is how much Buffalo loves the Bills. You can't describe it, you just can't. The Bills haven't made the playoffs in this millennium but they still sold out every home game in this past season. They still have that Chicago Cubs view in football. Scott Norwood is the Bill Buckner of football, Steve Bartman has nothing on the "Forward Lateral" of 1999 in Tennessee. Those memories, just gone like that? Something is wrong. People where getting ready to name their kids after whoever was the MVP of the first Super Bowl that the Bills won. Looks like they will have to win one soon. The only thing that even rivals how wrong this truly is, is when the Browns where moved out of Cleveland in 1995. That was just plain wrong, but this makes that look like a visit to the St.Judes Hospital. The Bills are Buffalo, no one cares about us, no one knows about us, but we still BILLieve. That was a bumper sticker I saw visiting my grandfather who lives near Buffalo.

People say "why are you complaining? Toronto is just up the road from Buffalo, you can still root for the Bills." Those people have stable teams in stable towns. Only Bills fans truly know what it feels like, and to have your team being moved out of their town is like having someone go into your bag, steel your iPod, take some money, then throw it back on the ground. The stuff was valuable, sure, but what sucks the most is that someone would have the nerve to go through your stuff, YOUR stuff. You feel violated, disrespected, and just crumby. That is the feeling of every Bills fan right now.

Ralph Wilson, I have a question. What the Hell is going on in that Billion year old head of yours? You want to become the first owner to put a team on foreign soil? Why the Hell don't you think anyone has tried it before? There have been a lot of owners in the NFL that are way smarter then you could ever dream to be and they didn't feel the need to put a team where it will crash and burn. Why do you? Want to screw over the city that has done so much for you? Face it, without the city of Buffalo Ralph Wilson would be nothing more then a dot on the human radar. A nobody in American culture, a nobody in football. He would be just retiring now with nothing to his name. Now he has something to his name alright, a city that has made him public enemy number one.

This next piece is based on strict rumor, but could be very credible. Tom Golisano is a savoir of sorts in the city of Buffalo already. He saved the Sabers from the fate that the Bills might face by buying the team and turning them into a winning hockey team and the toast of the town. In 2006 the Buffalo Sabers where named the greatest franchise in sports by ESPN the Magazine, based on success and fan experience. Now Golisano admits that he didn't know a lot about hockey before he bought the team so he can't take a lot of credit for the winning turnaround, but the fan experience is all him and his staff. Now Golisano was prepared to make the same turnaround for the Bills [scientific studies show that if Golisano bought the Bills he would own 90% of Buffalo and be named mayor the next day]. He, along with Rich Foods, where reportedly prepared to buy the team but according to Golisano, Wilson would not sell the team to any American market for any amount of money because he has had his mind set on moving the team to Toronto for years. Wow, Golisano vs. Wilson round one. Any bets? I got my college fund on Golisano because he was born after the pre Cambrian period. According to this report, the Bills and the city of Buffalo would then go into a exact repeat of the 1995 Cleveland Browns case where if the city of Buffalo built a 60,000 seat domed stadium on Buffalo's waterfront they would get and expansion franchise and the Super Bowl in the future. I've dug deeper and found that almost everyone doesn't believe that the team will go to Toronto anyway, and the repeat of the 1995 Browns situation is even less likely, but I don't care. As long as I don't have to root for the Giants for the rest of my life, I'm good with rooting for the new age Bills, or my old Bills that I have grown to love.

I have herd that Ralph Wilson would never move the team because he "loves the Bills". If he loves the Bills so much, then why doesn't he build a new stadium that would increase revenue and be able to keep the Bills here in Buffalo? Or at least try? Because he has had his mind set on moving this team for years apparently. They don't sign big time free agents, loose star players, and don't even actually play in Buffalo. Maybe a stadium by the waterfront right now would be able to keep the Bills right now. An outdoor stadium [because the idea of having the Bills play in a dome sickens me] would do wonders for the Bills. But Ralph Wilson doesn't want to try keeping the team here. He says he does to stay alive while living in Buffalo [ which is pointless because he could drop dead any second, being that he is 4.2 Billion years old] but doesn't really think that.

Let me assure you no one wants to talk, or think, about this. I don't the NFL doesn't, and any other Bills fan sure as hell doesn't. But this issue needs to be addressed before it is to late. We don't have to go down the Cleveland Browns road. If the fans stay involved, this can end before it starts. Some people say that the situation is beyond saving, all we have to do is BILLieve.

The Papelbon Theory

You have to give the Red Sox some credit, they have established a brand new sports theory that has emerged in just the past couple of years. The Pabelbon theory is a simple one really, a prospect goes in a different direction then what was expected, what do you do? Well, in the case of the Red Sox you have to give them credit because they picked the right option. When young stud Jonathan Pabelbon started to show great promise in a closer role, the Red Sox where given a tough decision in the 2006 offseason. Go with the original plan of making him a starter, or make Papelbon the full time closer? The Red Sox made the right choice to designate him to the full time closer role. Now the Yankees need to make the same decision.

How about Joba Chamberlain? This kid is amazing, and the exact same situation as Pabelbon was in. Last year he excelled out of the bullpen as a Mariano set up man. But this guy has the perfect makeup for a closer. Let's get one thing straight, I will not blame the Yankees if they make Joba a starter, he will be a great starter as well as closer. Now it's a bit different with Joba because he would not be the closer this year, while he might be a better fit then Mariano right now, Moe is the greatest closer in history. No one can deny that, and I think as long as he can he has earned the right to be the closer. But the problem in the past with the Yankees bullpen has been two things.

1: Moe's age. Let's face it, he is not in the prime of his career anymore. While he can prop ably give you 35 saves and below a 3.50 ERA he will blow a couple of saves. He is past the immortal stage of his career and you can't expect a three up three down last inning every time. He is the greatest and has earned himself a spot on the Yanks roster as the starting closer for as long as he wants it.

2: The bridge to Moe. In the championship years the Yankees had someone who could take the ball in the 7^th or 8^th and give it to Mariano in the 9^th. The Yanks have not had that for years and now they do. Joba is as good as you can get when it comes to set up men. He will be a closer eventually, but for now I would love to see him in a set up man role.

So while if Joba was a starter it would not be the worst thing that could happen to the Yankees, I just see him as a future closer as opposed to a starter. He has the intensity of an unmatched human, his stuff screams short term, big out scenarios.

 

Roberto Clemente

This was a paper I had to write for Spanish class in honor of Black History Month, this is about Roberto Clemente and was turned in for a grade.

Class, dignity, grace, all these words can be used to describe the great Roberto Clemente. Little did Melchor and Lucia know that they had created a true legend both on and off the baseball diamond. Roberto Clemente was born on August 18, 1934 in Carolina, Puerto Rico. He was the youngest of seven children, born to Melchor Clemente and Lucia Walker. His father was like many Hispanic baseball players' fathers, poor with limited resources, he had to work for every single penny that he earned. The same concept can be used to describe Clemente's career. Nothing was ever given to him, in baseball, or in his childhood.

Roberto's interest in baseball was shown at a very early age, he often played against neighboring barrios, or neighborhoods. His baseball career took of while at Vizcarondo High School in Carolina when he was asked by Roberto Martin to play for the Sello Rijo softball team, from there he joined the Puerto Rico amateur league two years later. At 16 he was considered one of the best young prospects in Puerto Rico.

When you grow up the way Clemente did, money is scarce so you need to take every opportunity that you get. Pedrin Zorilla was the scout who signed him to a contract with the Santurce Crabbers of the not very prestigious LBBPR, but it was money that was coming in and he needed it. He was about to receive the opportunity of his lifetime. While progressing to be in the starting lineup he was noticed by Brooklyn Dodgers and offered a contract. Before he could realize his dream of playing in the Majors he would have to go through the triple-A affiliate of the Dodgers. This team was located in Montreal.

Anyone who understands culture can attest to the extreme differences between the two areas of Puerto Rico and Montreal. Different weather, language, people it all took Clemente by surprise. That was until he was taken under by a new friend. Joe Black was the only Spanish speaking player on the team, or even in the city it seemed, and made the transition easier. That allowed Clemente to get back to what mattered, baseball.

He definitely got used to the city in a hurry. So much so that in 1954 a scout from the Pittsburgh Pirates named Clyde Sukeforth. Clyde Sukeforth is a name that people in Pittsburgh should name their kids after because he was the one who opened the greatest era in Pittsburgh sports history till the Steelers dynasty of the 1970's. Roberto Clemente was about to excel into super stardom and wasn't going to stop anytime soon. He made his major league debut on April 17, 1955 against the team that had signed him, the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Clemente came into Pittsburgh during a tough time. They had not had a winning season since 1948, a streak that he helped end in 1959. He opened his career in tough racial times as well, he had racial problems with both teammates and the local media, in his rookie season he only hit for a .225 average but played spectacular defense. It was not till the 1960's that the true Pittsburgh success began. In big liberal cities like Pittsburgh racial tension was beginning to die down , this made it easier for him to concentrate on baseball and he even enlisted in the military during the offseason. This was before his coming out party in 1960, when he truly exploded on the scene hitting over .300 for the first time. 1960 was also the year of a historic upset in the World Series as the Pirates defeated the mighty New York Yankees in one of the best 7 game series that baseball has ever seen, as Bill Mazeroski hit a home run in game 7 to win the Pirates 1^st series since 1925.

After the wear and tear of a title defense that saw Clemente selected to his 1^st All Star game, the rest of the decade went off without much excitement, other then a marriage, four batting championships, and a National League MVP award in 1966. The 1970s [ the last decade of his life] proved to be the most exciting, and shortest. After the 1970 season the famous Forbes Field was going to be shut down. This was an emotional time for Clemente who was quoted as saying that he "spent my life in that Stadium." But the first season in the new stadium, Three Rivers Stadium, was one of the best in Pirate history. In 1971, after a .352 avg. in 1970, he took a back burner to the team aspect. The Pirates theme for the 1971 season was "We Are Family" and the entire city and team responded. This motto gave the team a sense of community, family even. This helped them finish off a good 1970 season with a National League championship in 1971. They faced the powerhouse Baltimore Orioles, who won 100 games in the regular season and where the defending World Champions. Surprisingly to everyone but them, the Pirates won the World Series beating the highly favored Orioles in 7 games. Clemente was the MVP of the series.

The 1970's also saw Roberto Clemente join the baseball gods with his 3,000 hit. The 3,000 hit Club is a free ticket to the hall of fame and hardly anyone has accomplished it. Getting to that special milestone means you will be remembered forever in baseball lore as one of the greatest players in history. His 3,000 hit as certainly his most special, sadly it was also his last.

On December 31, 1972 the plane that Roberto Clemente, overloaded by 5,000 pounds, crashed right after takeoff. Clemente was dead. His body was never found. The saddest part of the story is that Clemente was on his way to Managua, Nicaragua which had just been devastated by a colossal earthquake just weeks before. Clemente was on his way to deliver aid to the tragedy stricken region when his plane crashed into the ocean.

Clemente will be remembered as a true pioneer but also as one of the greatest baseball players to ever play the game. His 12 Gold Glove awards ties Willie Mays with the most by an outfielder, he leads the Pittsburgh Pirates all time in hits, total bases, and games. He went to the All-Star game 12 times, and was a two time world champion.

These numbers scream certain 1^st ballot introduction into the hall of fame, which would have taken 5 years. The rule for entry into the hall of fame is that one can not be elected before he has been retired for 5 years. This rule has been lifted once, and this was the time. The writers who he fought with when he came into the league held a special election. The outcome of that election was that there was going to be a bend the rules. In 1973, not even a year after his death, Roberto Walker Clemente was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

The perfect trade

Yo, Russ Brandon! How about you put on your G.M hat and listen to me for a couple of seconds? There is a trade that you have the opportunity of making that would propel the Bills to the playoffs. Sound good? Well here is the key to being in the playoffs for the first time this century.

DeAngelo Hall is on the market, yes that DeAngelo Hall. The one who ran something like a 4.2 in the 40,and has been a shut down corner in the league for years. Here is what you also have, an uninspired, washed up, QB that wants to be traded who is a hell of a lot better then whoever they have down there. Also a high 1^st round pick. You seeing this glorious opportunity any better? You need a DB, they need a QB. What about that high 1^st round pick that you where going to use on Malcom Kelly? This is answered easily. Malcom Kelly is not the type of receiver that you need right now with an underdeveloped QB that could not throw the deep ball. Not to say that he can't, because Fairchild was not the most ballsy Offensive coordinator known to man, but he has not proven it yet. The other thing is that you already have two of the top 10 deep threats on your team right now in Roscoe Parish and Lee Evans, to add another would pump up my testosterone level to dangerous highs with all the deep throws. You need a guy who is a big threat and can catch anything thrown his way.

Enter Bernard Berrian. The free agent receiver who is more of a possession guy and perfect for a developing QB. Edwards will benefit greatly from a guy like Berrian because you can usually count on him to be open, kind of like a different version of Wes Welker, a guy who is ALWAYS wide open. You also have a spare $25 Million lying around and not using it would be a crime. Berrian would be the better choice then drafting Kelly because it will take Kelly some time to develop anyway, while Berrian is a veteran that you can plug right into an offensive system without a moment hesitation. Forget the fact that Berrian is just a better fit for the Bills anyway.

I know that Marv Levy always built through the draft instead of free agency and trades, but you my friend are not Marv Levy. Levy could burn down city hall and still be viewed as a hero in Buffalo. I had to look you up on google. My point is that Levy could afford to not use big cap room because he: A: knew what he was doing, B: he knew he would always have the support of the fans because he earned it. You didn't go to four straight Super Bowls so you might have to earn the respect of the fans. Levy would never pull the trigger on this trade and not use the amount of money available except for filling in required roster spots. You can bring up this point: while Levy is the second coming of Moses, he never actually won a Super Bowl. Maybe you could be the one who brings the Lombardi Trophy back to Buffalo. In order to do this you need to pave a new road as the new G.M. a lot of teams would kill for the resources that you have before you.

So a re-cap on the trade: J.P. Losman and a 1^st round pick for DeAngelo Hall. What do you do next? Spend a little of that $25 Million in loose coin on Bears receiver Bernard Berrian. This trade is so perfect, so seamlessly simple to pull off, that it will prop ably never happen. The Bills don't need to "re-build through the draft" because they don't need to freaking re-build! They almost made the playoffs last year! I'm sick of people in the organization acting like they just went 4-12 and need a major overhaul. They are in a perfect spot because they have a 1^st round pick of value and they don't really need it. The Bills are one or two , maybe three if you stretch it, pieces away from going back to the postseason. This offseason mini spree might put them over the top alone, but with $25 Million cap room they can after more then one free agent and there are a ton of good ones out there [ see previous column titled " Off Season Wish List"] and it bothers me that Russ Brandon won't get off his ass and make something happen. Not a good 1^st impression when you have not done a thing as G.M. Ok Brandon, I now feel like an American Idol judge, as Simon would likely say [ I really don't watch the show but I hear things] " Russ! [ cue British accent] That was JUST AWFUL!" Brandon, you do not to be on the Simon crap list, do you?

Just a thought

Note: As I type this, it is coming across the ESPN wire that the Giants and Falcons are close to a deal for the Giants 1^st rounder. The Giants have the 31^st pick. If this trade goes through expect a 2,000 word bashing on Russ Brandon and everyone who has ever come in contact with him.

Anti-Boston News of the Week

David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez are in camp on time! What? No! Hold on let me vomit. People continue to talk about this story like Red Sox Nation should be rejoicing, just because two players did what every Yankee has done since 1990. We should not be giving Manny pats on the back just because he did what he was supposed to do.

Did someone say Pats? I just can't get over the fact that the "mighty Patriot dynasty" might just get brought down by a golf pro named Matt Walsh. Belichick said he couldn't pick Walsh out of a crowd, well that's to bad because that guy is about to screw you over. I don't know, for me I always thought it would be a guy like Peyton Manning or Brett Farve that would end the dynasty of the Patriots, not Matt Walsh. What makes me angry though is the response of the NFL. If you have the amount of money that the NFL does you can put forth a pretty good investigation. So you mean to tell me that you can't interview every former or current Patriots employee during the Belichick era? Why did this guy slip through the cracks? It almost looks like the NFL was trying to cover this up. Now I'm not accusing the NFL of doing this, but it has to be considered at least a little bit. Why destroy the evidence so quickly? Why let an employee slip through the investigation process? Why would Walsh have to sign a agreement with the Pats about disclosing information? This screams something bad to me, or good in my case because nothing would give me more satisfaction then seeing this dynasty fall harder then Rome.

Why not just kill the dreams of every Boston sports fan? I have my first ever sports theory, this one is simply called the screwing of cities theory. Take the 2001 Yankees for example. After loosing the 2001 World Series in horrible fashion, notice how the Giants fell apart right after a Super Bowl appearance? That doesn't bother me being a Bills fan, but the Jets where never that relevant either [ even better] , during this time frame the tragedy known as the Knicks also came to be [ the team I sadly call my favorite Basketball team] the Rangers never won anything, the Mets choked away everything that came their way, and the Islanders where horrible. I am not including New Jersey teams because that is a whole different sports area to me. This is where the theory kicks into overdrive. Everyone this side of England knows that New York's major rival is Boston. Notice how after the Yankees lost the 2001 series the Patriots upset the Rams [with a little help from friend of the blog Matt Walsh] and started their "dynasty" . The first Red Sox world title in 86 years would come a few years later and now the Celtics have the best record in the East. Enter the 2008 Super Bowl. The same situation as the 2001 Yanks. A team who is heavily favored but is upset by a team that no one gave a chance, and the balance of power shifts to the rival city. While I would love it if that momentum swung upstate for football, but as long as I can see the Yankees beat the Red Sox in the series I would be more then happy. Maybe a Knicks turnaround into next season? Picking up LeBron when he becomes a free agent? Don't laugh.

So that is my first sports theory, wow I feel like Bill Simmons minus the high voice and wife. It is also 10 degrees outside of my house while I bet it is still sunny and 75 over in L.A where Simmons hangs out. Oh well, he won't be laughing during October. Mission 27!

 

Just a Thought

Off Season Wish List

The Buffalo Bills aren't in the minority when I say this, but they have a ton of cap room. That is not an excuse; they still have $25 Million in cap room and a lot of gaping holes to fill. The following is a top 10 list of free agents, draft targets, or people who want to be traded that the Bills really need.

 

10. Chad Johnson

This one is hard because of the fact that you would have to give up something for him, but this could work. The Bills have a 1^st round pick of immense value, and the Bengals could use another pick at 11. The problem really comes when ocho cinco gets there. If he can't catch passes from Carson Palmer then he will not be able to even look at Trent Edwards, and the fact that no one south of Erie, PA cares about the Bills could also get him going.

9. L.J. Smith

A re- occurring theme will be receivers, because the Bills have a need there that makes me cry. L.J. is a monster Tight End who would be a big target in the red zone, one thing the Bills did not have last season. They had to settle for field goals almost every time they got down there, which will loose you more games then Britney has personalities. [ I know that was a bad joke but I couldn't come up with anything else] Smith did not have a very good statistical year last year, but was also plagued by various injuries.

8. Lance Briggs

The Bears Linebacker would make a great addition to the Bills front four, his passion and raw emotion make me sweat. He may live in Brain Urlacher's shadow but over the past 3 seasons he has surpassed 100 tackles every time, the problem is that Chicago is offering a very good contract and more talent, the likely hood that this would happen is slim, and the Bills like this kid Rivers for a second or third round draft pick.

7. DeAngelo Hall

The Falcons are reportedly shopping him, they also need a QB. J.P Losman anyone? He is certainly an upgrade over whoever is there now, and the Bills need a corner with that speed. He ran a 4.2 in the 40 yard dash. That is unreal , this trade would make so much sense it is unbelievable. They would probably have to throw in a draft pick or two, so here is my proposal: J.P, and then a 3^rd and 5^th round pick. It is perfect. So it probably won't happen.

6. Bernard Berrian

A stupid fast receiver would be perfect for a QB who has a surprisingly strong arm that wasn't showcased because Steve Fairchild didn't have the balls to throw the football more then 10 yards on any given play. With a two of the top deep threats in the NFL, that passing offense could be scary. Especially with great protection, and a physical back for when the weather gets cold.

5. Teddy Bruschi

The man you hate if you're a Bills fan would look great in a Bills uniform. The Bills don't have a gaping hole at Linebacker, but while I think Poz will be great we just don't know. He was hurt and we still need to conclude the test drive on him. Teddy could be a problem because of his age and the fact that I don't think that the pats will let him walk away, but if they do: Teddy: welcome to Buffalo!

4. Ernest Wilford

He is the perfect receiver for Edwards because of his size. He is going to catch anything thrown at him and would be a perfect fit as a 2^nd or 3^rd option at receiver. Edwards is unproven at throwing the deep ball and with Wilford he can always fall back on something over the middle with great hands. He would also be a great red zone threat because of that size.

3. Dan Connor

The other Penn State Linebacker would be a great companion to former teammate Poz. He is just to high of an asking price, it will be him or Malcom Kelly that the Bills take with the 11^th pick, and I think Connor could fall into the second round. If he does, then it will be almost as great of a steal as last years 1^st and 2^nd round picks for the Bills. [ Marshawn Lynch, and Poz]

2. Malcom Kelly

The lilkley number one pick by the Bills is going to be a very good receiver. At first I thought that he would not fit because he is a deep threat and not really a over the middle get a couple of yards kind of guy that I thought would enhance Trent's development. Upon further review it appears that he is perfect for Edwards because while he has not been given the opportunity to prove it yet, Edwards has a strong enough arm to feed it to Kelly and Evans. Kelly also has the strongest hands in the draft which can only help a young QB's development.

1.Asante Samuel

Another guy you proprably hate. He would solve all of the Bills problems at corner. He is physical yet fast, has good hands, [ exept for the Super Bowl] and has the size. I don't think McGee or Greer are going to be anything more then one hit wonders and we need at least one more shut down guy. Samuel is the missing piece, but there is a possibility that he will be re signed by the Pats, but knowing the way the Pats do business he could be on the market soon.

 

The Bills are a team that needs maybe one or two pieces to become a playoff team again. At least a DB and receiver would bring back the memories of the 90s.

Just a Thought

A day to Remember

The atmosphere at the Carrier Dome is one that is truly unmatched in the nation you can't really realize this when your watching them take on USF; however, when the 'Cuse take on a bitter rival like, say, Georgetown you truly realize what it is like to have 30,000 fans screaming at every rebound, foul, basket, it seemed like the building was shaking after every Johnny Flynn dribble. Me and my friend Greg are die hard in all aspects, but our fandom reached new heights on Saturday when we completed the number 10 thing on my "life's to do list" and that was painting our bodies for a game. This was not your little brothers face paint either. We went as an "S" and an "U" [ Greg was the "S" and I was the "U"] but not just our face, not just our stomach, not just our arms, no, we went with a whole body montage that screamed "LOOK AT ME!" and people did. Before I get to the game, it is amazing what going shirtless to a public event will do for you. Me and Greg have been to a couple of games before, here was the difference, both me and him where shirtless to this one, wow. We went from average Joes to Oprah. We had people who didn't know us, recognize us, or live within a 10 mile radius of us or anyone of our family members come up to us and ask for pictures. Why? Just because we where without shirts in upstate New York in the middle of February.

But the real point of this post is to talk about the game. And what a game. The fact that SU was in this game proves the inconsistent nature of this team. The fact that they could lay such a humungous egg against USF and then come back in a couple of days and play as good a game as they possibly could. The start of the game screamed blowout, no one could believe it. These guys couldn't miss if you put a blindfold on them and taped their right hand to their thigh. Donte Greene had such a stroke, but how about Paul Harris? Before today I didn't think he would ever make a field goal from more then 8 feet. He made a 3 point field goal! I turned to Greg and just looked at him stunned and said, what? Harris is of course a sick player in all respects, but can't shoot to save his life. This has been his weakness since he came to the hill. It was a nice change to see him make a three. And it was nice to see him score 22 points [ Georgetown's total in the 1^st half] but we expect that. Syracuse seemed unstoppable in the paint, with Onuaku dominating the "great one" [sarcasm] Roy Hibbert. I thought this kid was good. Just what I herd on the streets, guess whoever said that was wrong. Usually Onuaku has trouble with anyone over 7 feet, take the Uconn game for an example, by the end of the game he didn't want any part of the low post. That is so much unlike him it is not even funny, but today, with the great Hibbert on him, Onuaku scored 13 points and grabbed 4 rebounds while Hibbert scored 11 points and garnered 3 rebounds. You do the math, they occasionally teach that at Georgetown.

Now this win looks cute on a resume, but is it enough? The 8^th ranked team went down but then again, USF just beat them. Right now I think that this team's status has not changed since a week ago. They got both the back breaker and the rousing win, now the 'Cuse can officially play their way into the tourney, they have a huge game with Pittsburgh coming up, and a win there would help immensely. Now it is up to the 'Cuse crew.

Just a Thought

bobby knight

I know he was a bad man, I know he never granted interviews, I nkow he threw things across the floor, but Bob Knight should be remembered for more then his antics. The bottom line is that Bob Knight was a amazing coach and should be remembered as that. I quite frankly don't care if he threw a chair across the floor, or gave a player a little smack on the cheek when the time was right. He is not a saint. No one is. He won 902 games. 902! That in itself needs to be reconized. So many people have been asking about Bob Knight's "legacy" what more can a legacy be? He won more games then any coach in history. I know Pat Summit counts to. Fine. Let me rephrase, the winngest MENS coach. That better? Anyway, I don't care if he was fiery, had passion. Oh no! Bob Knight had passion? Now my life dosnt make any sense! Give me a break, the guy had passion and we are punishing him? So sometimes he took it a bit to far, to me he will go down as the greatest until Jim Boehiem passes him. Hey I can dream right?

Just a thought

Super Bowl

Geoff onSports

You know I was expecting to complain about how the Patriots won a tainted championship. But now, Spygate could not matter less. The fact is, The Pats pulled a old school Boston and choked it away. People talk to me about how my team [The Bills] didn't even make the playoffs. I can exept that to a extent. My team didn't have the "greatest' offense in history in the first 18 games, then in the biggest game of them all score a mere 14 points. My team didn't go 18-0 while killing teams just because they could, then loose to the Giants. A quick pause. Almost every Pats fan I have talked to has said that in fact the Patriots did beat the Giants. You know what? Week 17 really dosn't mean much in this case, as a matter of fact, it means nothing at all. Neither do Brady's 50 TD's or Moss's 23. They don't matter. And i'm not the first to say that. But I will say it the loudest. Where was I? Oh yeah, bashing the Pats, this is fun.
My loyalties have not, and never will, change. I am a Bills fan till I die. But seeing the Pats loose that Super Bowl was proprably the second greatest Super Bowl moment I will ever experiance. This has a lot of implications if you are a superstitious fellow like myself. Who else noticed a New York team beat a Boston team? That might have been the thing that gave me the most joy.I am not a paticular fan of the Giants, but if a New York goes against a Boston then I will always pull for the New York. Even if it is the Jets. Yes the Jets. The reason for this is my baseball loyalty. If you cut open my veins, you will get a knife full of pinstripes. I live, eat, breathe, and die with the Yankees during baseball season. I'm rambling. The point is, with one New York vs. Boston loss should come another, maybe a big one in October? Anyone else see this? If you belive in karma then you should have noticed that ever since the 2004 ALCS collapse Boston sports have been on a uncanny roll? Like, historiclly uncanny? Like, 4 or 5 straight weeks on the cover of Sports Illustrated? Well, maybe their time is up. The 2004 ALCS was arguably the fall of the Yankee dynasty. Super Bowl 42 [I'm not into the roman numerals] could be the fall of the Patriot dynasty. With Moss, Stallworth, and Samuel all up for free agency the Pats won't be anywhere near perfection next year. What could be next? A celtics playoff collapse? Maybe a Yankees- Red Sox ALCS re-match where the Yanks get what they deserve? The New England sports mini dynasty could be over. If the Pats beat the Dallas Cowboys in the Super Bowl this would not be that big of a deal. But the interlocking NY on the helment of the World Champs could have just made October fun for the first time in years.

Just a thought