Bucky Badger was busy today as they beat the UB Bulls *ON NATIONAL TV* by a score of 35-3.
That might seem bad but to be honest with you-I feel pretty good about the whole thing.
1. We get $600,000 for doing this
2. Wisconson is the #12 team in the nation
3. Madison is a tough place to play in
4. We get exposure. Any publicity is good publicity

We’ve played Auburn, Boston College, and Wisconson and we haven’t looked embarassingly awful except for maybe the BC game (40-0). It was pretty cool to watch UB play a big team on TV and for the 1st time ever I saw a commercial for UB-you know-like the college ads you see during football and basketball games. Little things like that make UB a little more important.

The results might not show it but with Turner Gill at the helm and with Starks and Roosevelt leading the offensive attack, I don’t feel too bad about our future.

WE WANT THREE WINS IN ‘07! WOOOOOOO!

Tonight was a bit tough. Lost to Ottawa 4-1 in a game in which we didn’t look our best. 2nd period was meh and there were a lot of turnovers on our end but was still tied at 1. Heatly scored a nice one and Phillips had a breakaway goal out of the penalty box to ice it. (His only goals this year are in his last 2 games against Buffalo). Ryan Miller came back and looked good but not great. It’s okay. Even the Sabres are allowed to lose every once in a while.

Friday night’s game was possibly the most solid (non-blowout) outing the Sabres have had all season. Took the lead and never looked back. For once, Biron stepped up and became a game breaker and Vanek and Afinogenov owned. Drury snapped his long goaless drought and the penalty killing was sweet (Killed a 1:35 2-man advantage)
Biron went back to the plain white mask apparently because he’s played terribly in the games he had his new fancy one. It worked.

Next game is Monday against Tampa in downtown Buffalo

Dear Elmwood Anti-Hotel D!@$%!*^%s,
Do you understand how cities work? A rundown neighborhood becomes a cool place for bohemians, then its popular with everyone, national developers and chains come in-pushing the bohemians to another neighborhood. Then the same happens to that place.
Apparently you don’t. We could have had a quality, national chain hotel come in and build a five story hotel, replacing five old, worthless houses. The location was prime. Right next to Buff State, the soon to be redeveloped Richardson Complex, the under-construction Burchfield Penny (which you ALSO tried to stop), and AK gallery.
Thanks to your valiant efforts Elmwood will not fall into the category of your typical city street that becomes hip, cool, and then commercial and expensive. In that way-you seriously hindered the growth of Buffalo. Why do you guys talk about Grant being the next Elmwood when Elmwood themselves have to fight hard to stay the way they are now?? Your lucky if your street wont turn into Grant the way you guys regard proper growth.
I’m so sick of you guys. I feel bad for all the good people who live around you.

Please don’t move downtown. That place still has hope for a prosperous future.

F*&^ you,
Mark and everyone else with a brain who cares about Buffalo.

Remember that brand new bank on Connecticut Street that was supposed to make the community all excited and turn the neighborhood around?!!?

Yeeeeah well it’s already been christened. Robbed yesterday.

Welcome to Buffalo-where you’ll never step into a bank that hasn’t been robbed. No seriously, you won’t.

Two new items in the world of downtown Buffalo development…
1. The infamous Genesee block was purchased and is planned on becoming a mixed use facility. If this happens…augh…amazing. Great for the Ellicott Commons, Ellicott street in general, and the collective psyches of downtowners.

2. Remember when that parcel of land next to the Adam’s Mark was put up by the planning board for proposals? Well there was one dude interested and he’s proposing a 4-6 story office building that should cost between 11 and 17 million. Not really sure how I feel about a 4 story building going up in downtown but whatevs. It’s infill, and it adds a little life to downtown when you’re driving on the Niagara thruway.

Oh well. Sabres couldn’t tie it up with a power play in the last 2min of the game and the Senators iced it with a rink-length shot into the empty net.
Biron wasn’t too bad but he just isn’t a gamebreaker…never was. That’s pretty much the big difference between him and Miller.

PS..Wicked slapshot from Briere. WHOA.

Next game Friday home v. Pittsburgh. Should be a wild game

I love talking to all these Sabres fans who are really (and i mean really) upset and concerned about
1. the team’s overall play of late
2. biron (”I MISS MILLER, WE NEED HIM BACK ASAP!!”)
3. the defense (”AUGH WE’RE SO SOFT. WE’RE CRAP WITHOUT TALLINDER AND LYDMAN!”)
4. afinogenov (”AAAA WE NEED MAX BACK REALLY SOON!”)

Okay, lets look at the standings…
15 wins
1 regulation loss
1 overtime loss
31 points
1st in the conference
#1 offense in the NHL

Soooo lets just enjoy the fact that we have ONE loss and it’s almost Thanksgiving. Because believe me, we’ll miss these days soon enough

Came accross another Ani Difranco song about Buffalo. Some interesting observations…

SUBDIVISION

“White people are so scared of black people.
They bulldoze out to the country, and put up houses on little loop-d-loop streets.
And while America gets its heart cut right out of its chest
The Berlin wall still runs down main street separating east side from west.
And nothing is stirring, not even a mouse, in the boarded up stores and the broken down houses
So they hang colorful banners off all the street lamps
Just to prove they got no manners, no mercy, and no sense.
And I wonder then what it will take for my city to rise.
First we admit our mistakes and then we open our eyes.
The ghost of old buildings are haunting parking lots in the city of good neighbors that history forgot.”

ouch.

Quoting the News’ article, here’s what else is coming to the Inner Harbor by the time October ‘07 rolls around…
” First-person glimpses of the wharf’s heyday through the eyes of an American Indian, arriving passenger and harbor worker, to be located on the bridge over the Commercial Slip.

A transparent panel of “windows” into history, positioned on the railroad-style bridge at the head of the slip, depicting activity at the site at various periods.

A three-story facade with window panels containing historic photos of canal activities and industries, such as chandlers, barrel makers and boat builders.

An interpretive doorway into the unearthed foundations of original, slip-side buildings that will tell the story of the site’s archaeology and the efforts to uncover the past.”

Augh…can’t wait!

Just another heartwrenching loss for the Buffalo Bills, coming one point shy of ending the Colts’ undefeated run.
Yeah, Lindell could have given the Bills the 19-17 lead but based on the Colts’ ensuing drive I think we all know what would have happened next.
Our offense is just so embarassing. How the hell do you waste a 88 yard kick return by McGee by getting ZERO yards on the drive? We’re so predictable and Losman doesn’t throw beyond 10yards more than three times in a game.
I was pretty happy with the A-Train though…over 100 yards rushing.
And Losman didn’t turn the ball over…although he had less than 20 attempts.

Well…next week at Houston. Hopefully our offense can come together and put up some numbers like a normal NFL offense.