Your Guide to the Sabres Offseason 33 1/3

By Chris

In the third and final installment (for now) of this guide, I examine the restricted free agents, the fourth line, Ty Conklin, Drew Stafford and Dainius Zubrus.

The Restricted Free Agents

Thomas Vanek and Derek Roy are the big names on the list that include Paetsch, Dan Paille and Andro Peters.

Vanek’s regular season efforts have earned him a significant raise. If the Sabres go any higher than an average of $3 million over three-to-four years, then it would be too high. Luckily Vanek is not eligible for arbitration because that would be very bad news for the club, considering what outrageous figures arbitrators were awarding last year. Since the Vanek family is expecting a child later this summer, there are rumors that he is moving to Western New York so he may be willing to just get a contract done quickly so his girlfriend has a chance to settle in without any problems.

Roy will also get a hefty raise from his $627,000 base salary. I’d expect him to rake in somewhere in the million dollar range for the next three years. He’s a lock to be back with the team.

The Fourth Line

Paul Gaustad clearly wasn’t 100% after he had a few games under his belt, which seriously hurt the team’s ability to forecheck and change momentum. Couple that with the fact that Mair forgot how to hit, and the “fourth line” was useless in the Ottawa series. Peters isn’t the answer for anything except, “Who’s the worst skater on the team?” Instead of a one-dimensional fighter who will only sit the bench come playoff time, why not bring in a player who not only has the ability to fight but can also skate and isn’t afraid to throw the body around and crash the boards. I’ve trolled various message boards and one player that many think seems to fit the bill is Martin Gelinas.

TSN’s scouting report says that Gelinas “skates well and is difficult to knock off the puck. Can score goals in streaks. Is a good penalty-killer and forechecker. Goes all out every night.” He sounds like exactly what the Sabres were missing in the Ottawa series. He’s got enough toughness and grit to make a difference, even if it means Paille sitting another year. He made $975,000 last season and is an unrestricted free agent come July 1.

Mair is unrestricted as well and has said that he would love to come back to play for the Sabres. He was stuck playing with Peters last season, which seriously hurt his game, but even when Gaustad returned to the fourth line in the playoffs, he didn’t do much of anything. He’d be a good depth addition and brings experience and grit to the team, but if his last few games are any indication, then his best days are well behind him.

The Back Up

Ty Conklin comes cheap at under a million a year and the Sabres like him. I’d like to see him under Jim Corsi’s wing for a full year and see if he can make a real goalie out of him. Other options include Brian Boucher and Curtis Joseph, but it’s unlikely that they’ll be able to grow a playoff beard as sweet as Ty’s.

The New Guys

It’s time for Drew Stafford to be a regular. NHL.com is already selling Stafford T-Shirt jerseys. He’s this year’s Pominville after only one year of professional hockey. He can be a big time contributor on a top three line and that can really only happen if Ales Kotalik is shipped out. Kotalik has shown to be an inconsistent talent with a helluva one-timer. He can throw around the body when he feels like it, but for $5 million over the next two seasons, I’d like to see him become some other team’s problem. At that money, we could have kept Dumont, but what can you do?

Dainius Zubrus wanted a big contract extension from Washington and they decided they weren’t going to give it to him, they moved him for a first rounder and Jiri Novotny. Since the season finished, Zubrus has said that he’d like to stay in Buffalo and continue to play for a winner. I’m all for that. He was a beast in the playoffs until a knee injury put him out of commission. However, with the off season surgery a possibility, will the Sabres want to throw a lot of money on another injury-prone player, as they did with Connolly?

The Legend of Howie Clark

By Chris

A few years ago my brother's baseball team went out to a Bisons game here in Buffalo and for the second game of the doubleheader decided to go sit out in the picnic area in right field. Herron's Landing is a prime location for heckling and Syracuse Sky Chiefs right fielder Howie Clark got it good.

Picture fifteen twelve year olds chanting "HOOOOOOOWWWWWIIIEEEEEE!!!" between every pitch and everytime you run around to track down a fly ball. They started in about the sixth and by the time the eighth inning rolled around, they had him on the ropes.

At one point, he turned around and adjusted his cup in front of all the kids, which instead of intimidating them just promoted more cat calls. Then Howie was really ticked. A ground rule double went over his head and soon after he flipped the bird to a bunch of pre-teens. A really classy move.

So it was much to my delight when I learned that it was none other than Howie who was tricked into dropping that flyball last night in his first game with the Jays this year. That's what you get for flipping off twleve year olds in the minor leagues, Howie. Best of luck to you in all your future endeavors...in whichever local Wendy's that may be.

Cuban Football Crisis?

by Rich

Well, Mark Cuban is at it again. Not content with going round-for-round with David Stern anymore, everybody's favorite billionaire is now looking to move up a weight class and slug it out with Roger Goodell. Personally, I have mixed feelings about this venture...even if it doesn't technically exist yet.

On the one hand, you need look no farther than The Donald himself to see what happens when a wealthy renegade tries to challenge the NFL. The USFL's famous antitrust suit against the NFL, as well as the infamous ruling of $3 in damages awarded, is as convincing a cautionary tale as you could ever ask for. After that day, the USFL never played another game and the NFL continued (if anything, intensified) its domination of professional football in America. Oh, and if that wasn't convincing enough...remember the XFL? Yeah, neither do I.

Then again, this is Mark Cuban that we're talking about. If anyone in the world has the resources and more importantly, the sheer balls to challenge the NFL, it's him. To be completely honest, I rejoice every time I see Cuban linked to a rumor like this. Remember when he was "interested" in potentially acquiring the Cubs? I don't think a single person outside of Chigago hoped for that as strongly as I did. Can you even imagine Mark Cuban owning a team in a league without a salary cap? Not only would he have made sure that for the first time ever, George Steinbrenner couldn't just outbid every other owner for talent, but he would have remodeled Wrigley's famously shoddy lockerrooms to the point that Alfonso Soriano would no doubt have reported on Opening Day to find his jersey and spikes hanging inside some sort of high definition TV. But alas, it hasn't happened....yet.

The proposed "UFL" is clearly still a scribble on the drawing board, but the idea seems to have some merit. Cuban appears to be playing things the right way and saying the right things. They're not looking to take business from the NFL, so they say. Only to "offer competition" which would benefit both leagues. This indirect competition approach is something that can succeed, as the recent popularity of Arena Football can attest. Granted, comparing arena football to the more traditional NFL product is sort of like comparing gym-class whiffleball to the Fall Classic, but the point remains: a league offering a product that is pretty much football can succeed, as long as they don't try to infringe on the NFL's meal ticket.

We'll just have to sit back and see what happens with this proposed league. Right now it's an idea that's long on rumor and short on feasibility. Once they have owners, cities, and players, (providing of course that any of those things ever actually happen) we can make a better judgment of how the UFL will stack up against the NFL. If that day comes, however, I'm pretty sure I won't have to check ESPN.com to know. I assume that if Mark Cuban ever becomes the commisioner of a major North American sports league, I'll be alerted by the sounds of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse riding down my street, harvesting the souls of my neighbors.

Your Guide to the Sabres Offseason Part Two

By Chris

In Part One, I discussed the state of the Front Office and the Captains. Today is all about the blue line.

The Defense

Yikes. That’s about all that can be said about the defense’s performance in the playoffs. Coming into the 2006-07 season, The Buffalo News ran a feature suggesting that this could be the best starting six in Sabres history. Now it looks like it’s time to blow it up and restart.

Henrik Tallinder and Toni Lydman are locks to stay. They each have three years left and given more time together, they could become one of the league’s premier pairings by the time those contracts are up.

Campbell has emerged as a leader in the locker room, seemingly taking up some of the responsibility that Jay McKee once held. But Campbell really isn’t that good. He can be a monster in the playoffs and in certain stretches in the regular season, but this was really his first full season as a starting defenseman and we saw him wear out mid-way through. He was taking up a ton of ice time early on when Tallinder was hurt and it earned him a spot as a starting All-Star. But fatigue set in, and he really wasn’t back to form until the playoffs began. This was evident in the final two games of the Ottawa series when he averaged almost thirty minutes. He could potentially be trade bait as he enters a contract year, but, to me at least, it doesn’t seem likely.

Kalinin. Kalinin. Kalinin. Oh how the mighty have fallen. At one point, he was Buffalo’s top defensive prospect and Jim Lorentz pegged him as a Calder Trophy favorite when he began his rookie season. He flourished in the pre-lockout era as the team’s number two defenseman, averaging just over 23 minutes per game in 2003-04, while playing with Alexei Zhitnik. During the Ottawa series, he averaged just 11 minutes per game, but played just 4:23 in Game Four and three shifts for a grand total of 2:15 in Game Five. So what happened? It seems that Campbell and Tallinder, the other defensive projects in Rochester just got better sooner. Two minutes of ice time in an elimination game isn’t going to help a team win the Stanley Cup. Kalinin would be better off if he played somewhere else, a great change of scenery guy. I don’t think he’ll ever reach his “full potential” here in Buffalo and it would be best if the team just cut ties with him now.

Speaking of someone not reaching their full potential, let’s have a monster playoff, sign a $10 million contract to be a power play point specialist and then just rack up one point in the final 35 games. Hello, Jaroslav Spacek. If you watched Edmonton’s run last season, it was obvious that Spacek was a major part of that, although now one has to wonder how much playing with Chris Pronger had to do with that. I held my tongue on calling him a bust until the post season started, but now it’s clear. He’s a waste of money. He may play better defense than Delmore, but he’s much more expensive and I don’t think we’ll be fortunate enough to have someone take him off our hands for even a ninth-round pick, which is what Delmore went for. We’re stuck with his mammoth cap hit of $3.33 million and we’re going to have to learn to live with it for right now.

Teppo Numminen is an unrestricted fee agent and its best that the Sabres walk away. Numminen made $2.6 million last season and there’s no way the Sabres can afford to pay a 39-year old that much this season. Unless he wants to stay on as a seventh defenseman for the veteran minimum (whatever that may be, which might still be too expensive) I would like to think Numminen’s days in Buffalo are over.

Which opens the door for the Nathan Paetsch Era to commence. Nine of his 24 points last season came on the power play and it’s time for him to take on a regular role. He’s a restricted free agent, meaning he’ll be getting a slight raise from $495,000 he made in 06-07, but it will be worth every penny.

Depth is always an issue on defense, especially with what the team went through with injuries two years ago. Re-signing Mikko Lehtonen, whom the Sabres acquired at this year’s deadline would be an easy answer, especially with his salary of $575,000. Andrej Sekera, who almost made the team out of training camp last year, was plagued by injuries in Rochester and probably isn’t ready to make the jump to the show just yet.

The Sabres defense lacked toughness last season and looked unwilling to make or take a hit. Looking at some of the unrestricted free agents out there, Scott Hannan, Danny Markov and Ossi Vaananen would fit the role of a defensive defenseman, but with the out of control salaries defenseman have gotten lately (see Adrian Aucoin, McKee and Spacek), if Regier were to bring in a new defenseman, it would likely be through a trade (see Lydman). But that would mean either Spacek or Kalinin packing their bags, neither of whom I’d shed a tear for.

As the Kobe World Turns.....

By Jon

Earlier today, Kobe Bryant told Stephen A. Smith that he would like to be traded. A few hours later, Kobe changed his mind like a pregnant woman in the ice cream aisle.

Memo to Kobe: You look like a fool. Congrats.

Rumors of your unhappiness have been swirling for days. So you go on a national radio show of an ESPN analyst and set the record straight, or so we thought. Did you not realize that it would set off a media firestorm? You didn't think that this would be a top story and that everyone would read/hear your exact words? Now, do you expect us to believe that one "emotional" conversation with Phil Jackson changed your mind, especially after you said that there was nothing the Lakers could do to keep you happy?

You said that you were unhappy with the Lakers organization because someone on the inside said that you forced a Shaq trade a few years back. What's to say that the informant wasn't the night janitor at the Staples Center?

Fact of the matter is, you have brought even more evidence to the public that the Lakers have no team chemistry whatsoever, and whether you want a trade or not, you are awful at playing the media. Everyone outside of the Laker faithful thinks that you are a prima donna who refuses to play a team game (81 points and one assist comes to mind), and will never win a ring without Shaq.

On a closing note, I hate the NBA. That is all.

Your Guide to the Sabres Offseason Part One

By Chris

It’s been almost two weeks since the Senators ended the Sabres season, and now that we’re a month away from the start of unrestricted free agency, it sounds like a great time to seriously look what the Sabres could (and should) do in order to maintain their status as legitimate Stanley Cup contenders. We’re going to call this “Part One” just because it’s our first look into the Sabres golf season. Each day I’ll be going through various aspects of the Sabres roster and what to expect next season. Today we’ll be looking at two of the most prominent pairings in Buffalo: Darcy Regier and Lindy Ruff and Chris Drury and Daniel Briere.

The Front Office

Neither Darcy Regier nor Lindy Ruff has a contract for next season. Generally, this would be a problem, but everyone and their grandmother expects them both to return to the Sabres front office. The way I see it, as long as Larry Quinn is calling the shots as a Managing Partner, I can’t see either of them going anywhere. Quinn was responsible for the pair’s hiring in 1996 and was a strong advocate for retaining both after Tom Golisano bought the team prior to the 2003 season. It’s a sure thing that they’ll be running the team next season, the bigger question is why hasn’t anything official been announced yet.

The Captains

Chris Drury and Daniel Briere could both be back next season. They could also both be gone. The certainty we feel about Ruff and Regier returning is a complete turn-around from what could happen with player personnel next season. It’s very hard to get a sense of what either Drury or Briere is thinking because both say the things we want to hear. Both would like another shot with the same group of players. They generally like playing with each other and want to get the job done here. But money talks.

Briere seems very willing to test the free agent market, saying that Buffalo will have the first and best shot at signing him. He’s definitely looking at other options and any $7 million offer from rebuilding Philadelphia will be hard to turn down. He’s one of the main reasons for the Sabres turn around and he could see an opportunity there for him to rejuvenate another franchise. He says he loves the community and wants to stay here because it would be best for his family, but a contract worth close to $50 million would also be very good for his family. I’d like to see Briere back. It’s hard to replace 95 points. And it’s a scary thought that Tim Connolly could be the top line center next season, when it’s possible that he could die at any moment. I just don’t think there’s any way that the Sabres can match his market value, especially since they’ve said that they’re not willing raise their cap number despite what happens to the salary cap league-wide.

Drury is a different story. In nearly every article we’ve ever seen about him, it references him as a winner that will do whatever it takes to turn a team into a contender. He doesn’t sound like the type of guy that would mail it in with a losing team like Los Angeles just for something in the realm of a $40 million deal and the chance to be closer to his summer home on the West Coast, which is what the various rumor mills are suggesting. Drury has the ability to extend his legend and turn Buffalo into a champion and I wonder if he’ll want to leave Buffalo as a “loser” with an unfulfilled goal of bringing a Stanley Cup to the area. That could be enough motivation right there for him to come back. Although if there is any stock to the “House in LA” rumor, then San Jose and Anaheim would be more realistic options than the loser Kings. San Jose would allow him to reunite with Mike Grier and Anaheim’s proven, seeing where they are right now in the Cup Finals. Although neither of those teams would be “his” and both would have to work hard to fit him into their budget. He has a chance to succeed in Buffalo and leave his mark on a franchise with the Sabres.

If I were Regier, I would be sending Golisano’s money to Drury, it’s just a matter if the feeling is mutual.

August 15th Will Be Huge in Austria

By Ryan


Breaking news out of the International Branch of the Goose's Roost:
Thomas Vanek is going to be a father.

Of course, if you clicked the link above, the only thing you really learned is that he has a very snazzy website, but is still unable to smile properly when his picture is taken. So, we here in the Roost brought together our crack team of German scholars (er... freetranslation.com) to get the full story:

Thomas becomes papa! The cat is is out of the sack, on the 15 August birth appointment: Thomas and friend Ashley expect its first joint child! So much secrecy is almost already incredible, but now we may transmit you after the bitter retirement in the Playoffs yet one more than a pleasant message: Thomas becomes papa! The first joint child with friend Ashley is expected on the 15 August and becomes it a boy!

"We are happy, our parents are happy - everyone are simple happy", means the proud father in spe happily. Thomas mother, the future grandma of the new hockey new generation star: "We were able to believe the surprise not at all, actually would have calculated wait we sooner therewith that the older son will give us david first a grandson and we in Thomas something else müssten."

Often it comes differently when one thinks. The pregnancy of Ashley was planned pulled also the reason, why the long-time friend of Thomas already earlier than, namely in the last December, from Minnesota to Buffalo.

That the birth appointment fells exactly into the preparation time for the new season, does not disturb Thomas, entirely in the opposite: "I please me already on the new challenge!"

We wish Thomas and Ashley all goods and look already forward to the first baby photos!

I think that clears things up a little. The Goose's Roost would like to wish deep happy in Thomas and friend for new birth become man child. Buffalo think star big good hockey well.

The Bottomline

By Ryan


We will return to The Goose's Roost after this brief PSA from sports fans everywhere:

Dear ESPN Bottomline Guy,

We understand you have a lot on your mind, but sometimes you suck for us. We know it is your job to tell us everything that happened in a limited amount of space, but sometimes you just get in the way. For example, if we are blessed with a replay of a major sporting event, please be so kind as to omit the final score of that game from your programing. Thanks a bunch, kiddo.

Listen, we have no problem with a final score incident on SportsCenter, otherwise you would have nothing to run for an hour. However, when you are intentionally replaying the NCAA Lacrosse Championships and know exactly when it is played, do you really have to run the final score and give in depth analysis while it is in the first quarter? Really? In this modern world of cell phone updates and lightening fast technology, there is no way you can skip over the one score anyone watching your programing doesn't want to see?

Why not place a nice ad for your website, or even your highlight show running on your sister station? If someone wanted to get the final, there are tons of better options than the deuce. Heck, the least you could have done is posted a final score and a "GO WATCH THE STANLEY CUP FINALS!!!" banner on the picture. If you are not going to care, at least make some money off Versus advertising.

So in conclusion, thank you ESPN, for killing millions of Duke Lacrosse jokes for the people who have better things to do on Memorial Day than watch midday NCAA lacrosse. We were biting tonight, we were biting... tonight.

We would also like to thank the good people at MSG for showing the final and entire summary of Game 5 of the Sabres/Rangers series while showing "Rangers in 60," thereby ruining one of the most important moments in Buffalo sports history for people whose Tivo taped the Versus blackout. Good call, boys...

Sincerely,

Everyone

The Memorial Day Minute

WHAT ARE YOU DOING INSIDE READING THIS? GO OUTSIDE AND ENJOY THE WEATHER!
That is all. Happy Memorial Day, everyone.

Thought Process?

By Jon

Five Days. 120 hours. A full work week.

Five days is a long time. Enough time to forget about an entire league, apparently.

The biggest mistake the NHL could have made was scheduling the first game of the Stanley Cup finals five full days after the conclusion of the conference finals. Now, I'm sure there is an explanation that Gary Bettman and company will give, more than likely having to do with some sort of scheduling conflict with NBC and OLN, er...., Versus.

With no surprise stars (Cam Ward immediately comes to mind), very few memorable games, no spirited feuds between coaches, and two teams with virtually no history, this year's Stanley Cup finals may be the least hyped in the history of the modern day NHL. All of this is magnified by the five day layoff.

The NFL schedules two weeks between the conference championship games and the Super Bowl, but they can get away with it. The amount of media coverage given to the Super Bowl during media week is mind-blowing, and subplots always emerge. This isn't the case with the NHL, especially with only one American market being directly involved. No subplots have arisen, while any media attention at all has been given to Chris Pronger and Ray Emery and their strong play.... certainly not anything that is going to bring any hype to this game. ESPN barely covers the NHL as it is, why on earth would they cover it when there is no new information to report? Add in the media gaffes associated with the NHL this postseason (Van/Dal game going to an infomercial before the 4th OT, Buf/Ott game cut off for Preakness coverage), and you can bet that the casual sports fan will not be tuning in for the finals. Hell, the casual sports fan probably doesn't even realize that the NHL playoffs are still in process.

The thought process behind the layoff is mind-blowing, to me. The NHL isn't being watched or covered as it is, why would you put in such a large gap of nothing? Expect US ratings to be atrocious...

Around the Ring

By Chris

When ESPN debuted Battle of the Gridiron Stars two summers ago, I thought that there was no way it was going to last. I could just see Peyton Manning climbing over the giant wall, falling, and breaking his leg. Then the Colts would sue the pants off of anyone and everyone involved in the production of the show. And that would be the end of it.

What I didn’t expect to see was Dancing With the Stars causing those problems. This week’s “Sign of the Apocalypse” in Sports Illustrated features this little blurb, “Undefeated super middleweight Laila Ali must undergo knee surgery because of the wear and tear of performing on Dancing With the Stars.” Wait…really?

The New York Post has the original story, reporting that Ali will have surgery on both knees. I’m not a fan of the show to begin with, but this situation makes one wonder if athletes will second-guess making an appearance on the show. Imagine if Apolo Anton Ohno’s Olympic bid was put in jeopardy because of an injury sustained on a reality show. Would it bring about an international crisis?

In other boxing news involving the Ali family, George Foreman is pushing his new book which includes the story of how he lost to Muhammad Ali in the Rumble in the Jungle because of a tainted water bottle. I think one sentence is more than enough space for that, don’t you?

Also, UFC 71 is tonight in Las Vegas. Chuck Liddell and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson will square off in the main event. All of the major media outlets seem to be on the UFC bandwagon now that the Mayweather-De La Hoya fight proved that boxing is pretty much dead. Liddell was on the last issue of ESPN the Magazine and UFC is the cover piece for SI. ESPN even added a Mixed Martial Arts section to its website. I find the good fights entertaining, but in the words of movie Herb Brooks, “To me it looks more like two monkeys trying to hump a football.”

I want to know what it was like back when boxing was huge. TNT had the first three Rocky movies on this morning and I was instantly locked in. Where are the modern day Apollo Creeds?

And what boxing round-up wouldn’t be complete without a Mike Tyson update? Look out, he’s allowed to come to a city near you.

Not So Cox-sure Just Yet

By Ryan


Looking to ESPN for NHL news is never a good idea, but when TSN is occupied throwing a Senators orgy all over its web space you just get trapped in a corner. What I did find today was lacking as always, but interesting enough. Here goes.

I'm sure they just dug through the archives and replaced some names for this one. I hope he is "for real for real" this time around...

As stated multiple times in the Roost, this should have gotten much, much more press. Anyone within the sport knows what Brian Leech meant to the league and the Rangers especially. However, it is nice to see the heartfelt comments on the God awful "ESPN Conversation" boards. At least true fans do care about things like this.

The good news is that sometimes ESPN has decent columns about hockey from some respected names in the game. Unfortunately, this is not one of them. In most cases, I enjoy Damien Cox's work, but this piece is, in all honesty, worthless.

There are some obvious faults within the column, but even the premise is off. Now I understand there aren't many angles to cover for the Stanley Cup Finals aside from it being the match up of the apocalypse, but somehow managing to claim it will kill the trade deadline is just ridiculous. Judging the fate of deadline acquisitions based on one year is like judging the direction music is moving based on the 80s. ("The keytar will change rock forever!")

My point is this: we are in a new phase of the NHL, and therefore nothing can be determined as of yet. Heck, the NHL is still hawking those "New NHL" hats on its website. So to judge anything about the path this league will head is very presumptuous, especially in the span of a year. Even Cox concedes that last year's Cup Finals featured two teams that build off deadline acquisitions. Why not use that single year to outline the future of deadline day?

His backhanded insinuation that the Preds trading for Forsburg has impacted the team's possible relocation actually made me laugh out loud, something that even Page Two rarely does. Anyone who thinks that move is going to send Nashville's hockey team packing is crazy. If anything, that move created a bigger buzz for that team than ever before.

The same can be said for the Islanders' blockbuster move on deadline day. Trading for Ryan Smyth was the catalyst for their improbable playoff run, as well as an energizing of the entire fan base. That move may not have been completely geared towards this season. As questioned as GM Garth Snow has been, there is no way he expected a Stanley Cup out of that Islanders team. But the move brought life to a stagnant fan base, and opened up the door to possibly resigning an all star. I'm not sure of the cap constraints the Isles have, but bringing in a big name player like Smyth can also keep a player like Jason Blake from testing the free agent waters if he sees a future contender on Long Island.

The main problem with Cox's perspective is that it only considers the deadline as useful for immediate successes. There is nothing that says blockbuster deals can't be made and affect teams in the long term. You cannot look at the Ducks/Senators match up and predict the death of deadline day just because they are the last teams standing. What if Forsburg resigns with the Predators and wins a Stanley Cup with them in 2009? Does this year still signal to the other 29 GMs that deadline day is pointless?

I simply cannot believe that the trading deadline is only alluring because it can make a team win immediately. Any Sabres fan can tell you the importance of deadline day. Without the acquisition of Danny Briere on deadline day 2003 we never see the postseason run this team has experienced the last two years. It is important to note that acquiring Briere did not push us into the playoffs that year, but his long term impact has been far more important than that of year one in with the team.

The point is this: in this period of instant history where everything is the "the best" and "the greatest" and predictions run wild, it is important to keep in mind the truth: no single year tells anyone anything. An unsuccessful year of deadline deals will not kill the concept of deadline day, just like a year of high pitcher batting averages won't kill the DH in the American League. Time will tell the tale, just like in any sport.

Besides, I simply cannot agree with Oleg Saprykin having an impact on anything. Ever.

Dear ESPN,

By Jon,

Did anyone hear the news? Keyshawn Johnson is retiring.

Three days after Johnson announced his retirement, ESPN is continually shoving this in our face. Coincidence that Key is joining ESPN's broadcast team? Absolutely not.

This is absolutely driving me insane. There's no way this is even a story if Keyshawn wasn't joining ESPN. It would be nothing more than a blurb on the bottom line. Today on ESPNews "Football Friday" program, analysts actually discussed (with a straight face, mind you) whether or not Keyshawn was a hall-of-famer.

In my book, Keyshawn goes down in history as a good possession receiver. Maybe I'm biased based on the fact that his later years are fresher in my memory, but a possession receiver doesn't deserve this much hoopla. And the thing is, outside of ESPN, there isn't really much of a buzz. A quick AP blurb in the few papers that I saw, and that's all his retirement should be.

Quick..... Name one famous play or game that Keyshawn Johnson made an impact in. Super Bowl XXXVII (his lone appearance)? A pedestrian six catches for sixty nine yards in a game that was won by the defense. Possession receiver numbers. Now.... Can you name the title of his book? The point is that Keyshawn is more remembered for Just Give Me the Damn Ball and his personality rather than his play on the field.

Perhaps what makes me the most mad about this false retirement hype is the fact that one of the greatest NHL defensemen to ever play the game (Brian Leetch) retired this past week to barely any press whatsoever. One line on the ticker, much like Johnson should have got.

I plead to the higher-ups at ESPN. The media is supposed to be unbiased and impartial, please stop making a story bigger than it is so you can promote your new analyst.

(Editor's Note: Click here for an interesting article by the ESPN Ombudsman Lee Ann Schreiber on how ESPN coverage is affected by its programing. Hockey fans will be especially interested...)

De La Hoya vs. Mayweather? Nope. Drury vs. Briere. Supposedly.

By Chris

I don’t know how true this is, but I thought it was interesting enough to share.

For those too lazy to click on the link, here’s the juicy part:

From what I have been told Daniel Briere was sitting with an unnamed Sabre in the lockeroom talking about possible places he may be playing next season. At this time Chris Drury and Drew Stafford walked through that area of the room and overheard the conversation. Apparently there had been some strife over the earlier reports, especially after a Philadelphia press interview with Martin Biron, that Briere has talked openly about leaving previously and that it had a negative effect on the room. When confronted by Drury on the comments Briere, allegedly, made reference to the rumour, which I have previously reported, that Drury had already reached a handshake deal and that he, and the team, were hiding it. Allegedly, Briere also made a reference that Drury was favored in Buffalo because he was an American and that is why he got all of the credit.

According to my source it escalated from there and some blows, though none damaging, were thrown and they had to be separated by teammates. The Sabres immediately followed this brush-up with possibly the worst performance by the team all year in Game 3. Interestingly after Briere tied game 2 with video clearly shows Drury skating right by Briere without even congratulating him. also in a off day press conference Joe Corvo of the Senators made reference of how it was tough for the Sabres to focus on the Sens when they are fighting themselves.

There’s not much going on with the Sabres right now, and a potential locker room brawl would certainly spark some interest. It got my attention. But the story isn’t full-proof. Like one of the comments mentions, there was no practice session after Game Two. If you recall, the Sabres lost the second game in double overtime and then flew out to Ottawa the next morning. Lindy didn’t hold a practice Sunday morning.

A conflict between the two certainly wouldn’t shock me, but I get the feeling that if anything did happen, this post (or rather the author’s source) seriously blows the incident out of proportion. What I also find interesting, besides the report, is that the media did not pick up on it. I might not expect Versus to be on the ball, but CBC certainly would have been. Any of the Canadian media outlets would have gladly jumped at the chance to crack this story, even if it was just the quietest of rumors. We would’ve heard about it then, not two weeks later on a blog. Right?

For the record, there are about 37 days before both Briere and Drury become free agents. That is if some agreement between the captain(s) and the Sabres isn’t reached sometime before then. The Roost will provide full analysis of the NHL off season in the coming weeks.

But first this very important story with one huge problem:

“Former Rangers cheerleader sues MSG”

Did you read that entire headline? You wasted your time. The first three words are the problem.

Cheerleaders have no place in hockey. I’m not condoning the alleged actions of MSG employees, but then again, cheerleaders shouldn’t be there in the first place. Cheerleaders, along with ice dancers and other promotional squads, are just cheap gimmicks to try to get non-hockey fans in NHL markets to go to games. Sure they’re nice to oogle at, but hockey has survived for over a century without them and hockey will go on for many, many years after they’re gone.

And for Prince to file all of those documents supporting her claims on the same day that Ranger great Brian Leetch retires? Now that’s criminal.

Night Prowling

By Ryan


Sometimes it's best to be up late here in the Roost, especially when stories like this break.

At first glance I was surprised, but then again, we all know the dire shape the Preds have been in since first donning those ugly unis down South. Ticket sales and corporate investments really do make or break a franchise nowadays, and from reports neither have been happening in Nashville. (Anyone can watch a game on Comcast and take away from it the fact that people simply aren't showing up.)

Prospective buyer Jim Balsillie does have some recent history in buying a hockey team with shady interests in mind. Maybe this time he will make a commitment to keeping the team in the Music City. Either way, it's going to be a tough road ahead for Jordin Tootoo and his whistle.

All joking aside, a potential move may be a good thing for the Board of Governors to go through with. While Gary Bettman and his dream of expanding the game may be at stake in places such as Nashville and Florida, the idea of moving a struggling franchise may not be a bad one. While being ad admission of failure to some, a return of hockey to an area capable of a stable franchise would strengthen the league itself and may give old school hockey fans some hope as to the future of the league.

While there are many true hockey fans in Nashville, there simply may not be enough. A decade is more than enough time to gauge how a franchise will fare, especially when being graced with some good teams. (2003 and this year, most notably) It simply may not be their fault, there are simply other interests in some towns, and if cities are begging for an NHL franchise, wooing will ensue.

I am not saying a move should and will happen, at the moment Mr. Blackberry isn't even the owner yet. However, I am in favor of the possibility being explored. There is no proof that Kansas City can sustain interest, (See New Jersey Devils) and Winnepeg doesn't even have the proper sized venue available; but nothing makes a franchise stabilize faster than putting the fear of God into its fans. Sporting a winning team is one thing, but putting that city on the brink seems to show what a town is truly made of. Look no further than Buffalo for evidence of that.

Either way, I'm still getting one of these bad boys...

Tommy John Strikes Again

By Ryan


A story like this makes a Schilling blowout bearable, especially when the standings are still that lopsided.

One of the interesting things about the current state of the Yankees is that the majority of the damage has been self-inflicted. Signing a paper-mache free agent has nothing to do with the rivalry, aside from the asinine one-up mentality Ca$hman and crew have developed.

I will readily admit that the Red Sox have done much of the same in recent history, (Read: Dice-K) but as usual, the Yankees seem to counter with similar tastes. (I wonder how Igawa likes Tampa...)

Speaking of Tampa, this little nugget about Elija Dukes was released today. I think it's fair to say D-Rays skipper Joe Maddon has pulled out to an early lead for manager of the year after electing to sit the embattled fielder for the night.

"I'm just concerned in general, how he's going to handle things. We'll wait and see how it all shakes out. ... For today, I felt it was in his best interest and our best interest to not start him." Maddon said.

Hopefully he won't be getting any picture messages of a glock on his cell tonight.

I secretly enjoy stories like this because they usually include the entire quote with the naughty bits censored. After reading Dukes' threat I immediately tried to figure out what it was he said. Sadly, as versed in threats as I may be I still have a few options to pick from. I'm hoping ESPN will get a hold of the voicemail and play it, I may need the first syllable to get the whole story.

A big thank you....

By Jon.

I would like to expand on the previous post written by Chris, specifically regarding Jason Giambi and his positive amphetamine test.

I would like to personally thank Mr. Giambi for making me look like a fool.

Just two days ago, I wrote this:

"One thing I do know, I support Jason Giambi. He sounds genuinely remorseful, and he is the only current player to be somewhat upfront about 'roids. He went through the motions in 2003, he got clean, he doesn't deserve to go through it again. The worst part about this whole thing is that the general baseball public agrees with him. MLB does owe it's fans an apology, especially older fans who lived through the dead-ball era and remembered a time where drugs didn't rule the sport."

I honestly feel like a significant other cheated on me. I mean, I stuck up for the guy. I fought for him, I even commented on how remorseful he sounded! And then he goes and fails an amphetamine test. Never have I been more personally offended by one athlete's actions. In fact, I can't remember a time where I was offended at all. Being a Buffalo sports fan, I usually approach sports with more cynicism than the average fan, but I truly believed that the Giambino cleaned up his act. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

Thanks Jason, you've lost a fan.

Morning Musings: Porn, Drugs and Portis

By Chris

Just some quick thoughts on a beautiful Wednesday morning:

-Steeler’s offensive line coach Larry Zierlein reportedly sent what the Steelers are calling an “inappropriate e-mail” from his Pittsburgh office to “unintended recipients” throughout the NFL last Friday. Zierlein, as Buffalo fans may recall, was an assistant line coach for the Bills last season. Mike Florio’s blog, ProFootballTalk.com broke the story and it was finally confirmed yesterday. Apparently, according to Sports Illustrated’s rumor site FanNation, the porn message made its way up the ranks from important Steelers officials all the way up to commissioner Roger Goodell himself. It’s nice to know that the players aren’t the only ones who don’t know how to handle themselves in the NFL.

-Jason Giambi failed a test for amphetamines within the last year, according to the New York Daily News. So I guess when he said he was wrong for doing “that stuff,” amphetamines weren’t included. There’s also a rumor that the Angels would like to trade for him. Owner Arte Moreno always likes to look for a big move and Giambi would be an upgrade offensively over any of the first baseman currently on the Halos roster. Unfortunately, with all of the trouble Giambi was now dug himself into, who knows if he’ll even be in the game much longer. With the positive amphetamine test, Giambi subjected himself to six additional tests for one year, making his statement to USA Today about being “tested more than anyone” all the more true. The Daily News couldn’t have picked a hotter time to leak those test results and they couldn’t have done it at a worse time for Giambi.

-The Ducks advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals with a win over Detroit last night. Now I can have a rooting interest and I may be able to stomach watching this series. Ottawa has the ability to adapt to Anaheim’s defensive style from the blue line out, but it will ultimately be the goaltending that will keep Canada from its first championship since 1993. It’s very hard to see Ray Emery outplaying former Conn Smythe winner J.S. Giguere on the biggest stage of all. I see the Ducks taking advantage of all those juicy rebounds Emery will leave on the doorstep and taking the Cup in five.

-Clinton Portis makes me laugh. From his goofy disguises in post game interviews to his recent comments about Mike Vick and dog fighting not being a problem, I just can’t wait to see what he does next. I love how he couldn't even keep a straight face during that dog fighting interview. A reality show is a no-brainer. Unfortunately, such a series might jeopardize Goodell’s efforts to keep the image of the league clean. And those efforts are working out reeeeeeeeally well right now.

-The Spurs are up 2-0 against the Jazz already? Really? Does anyone even expect Utah to win a game? And notice that since Bill Simmons’ ESPN the Magazine column was published last week, everyone is now praising Tim Duncan as “the greatest player in the past decade.” Coinicdence? And also, is there is a reason as to why there needs to be a four day lay-off between games in that series? I blame Tom Bergeron.

-The University at Buffalo finally finished their new 12,000 square foot training facility last month. The old weight room inside Alumni was a joke for a Division I program and hopefully the new facility will help sway athletic recruits to the Bulls program. The Morris Sports Performance Center will actually be able to house whole teams! And it’s good to hear they’re not settling with just this new facility, as Rodney McKissic writes in The Buffalo News today: “The Morris Center is a precursor to a projected 200,000-square-foot indoor multipurpose field house that will include a 120-yard football field and an estimated 20,000-square-foot weight room, which would be one of the biggest in college athletics. The field house, nevertheless, is in the embryonic stages of planning.”

Shipping up to Portland

By Ryan


There is something about little plastic balls deciding the fate of a franchise that makes the NBA Draft Lottery so intriguing. Heck, I don’t even follow the NBA closely enough to deeply care about a single team. The brilliant thing about it is this: while the coverage of the NFL Draft is getting bigger and bigger each year, they still haven’t found a way to make a separate and completely different process somehow meaningful. They have tried to do it with the Scouting Combine, but no one within reason will watch that unless the televised the Wonderlic tests. (Which I would finally buy a TiVo for...)

The NBA is unique in the fact that they have made picking the order of the draft watchable. Even more exciting is the fact that they toss team representatives in the same room and televise their reactions. The look of absolute disgust after being selected outside of the top 10 is just great television.

But here’s the thing: ping pong balls do absolutely nothing when it comes down to it. My personal feeling about odds comes from Chuck Klosterman and go as follows: everything is 2:1. No matter what the percentages, no matter what the odds, something will either happen or not happen. To quote the affable Yoda: "Do or do not, there is no try."

For example, when the Sidney Crosby Lottery was held after the NHL lockout, the Buffalo Sabres had one of the highest percentages to land the #1 pick. When everything was said and done, they ended up with the 13th pick and Marek Zagrapan. What is there to say about that? It’s completely inexplicable, but there is nothing that can be done. It’s flukey, it’s random, but after not having a season it was the most reasonable way to decide where Sid the Kid goes.

In the NBA, however, this is done every season. Unlike the NFL which seeds it’s draft order with worst record and other tiebreakers, basketball’s fate is given to a behind the scenes selection that has no real order. The only reason it works is because people are strangely attracted to an event such as this, including myself.

The results of the lottery itself, however, leave much to be desired in many cases. This year, for example, the two teams with the worst records and therefore best chance to get the #1 pick fell to the 4th and 5th seed. (Memphis and Boston respectively) This means two things: 1) percentages once again mean nothing, and 2) Bill Simmons is going to kill himself.

Memphis slipping to pick 4 this year does mean some head shaking down South, but the Celtics being kicked to the mathematical curb once again shakes a die hard basketball crowd. The look of the fan at the Celtics’ lottery party said it all, as the poor kid didn’t move for a solid 2 minutes while holding an impressive "The Scream" pose. Some teams simply do not deserve as cruel a fate as bouncing hollow balls giving the #1 pick to Portland.

Again, it’s tough to say if the lottery is good or not. Nothing is guaranteed, but it does require a large amount of luck. In my opinion, the NFL system does seem to work best, regardless of some allegations of tanking. It just seems right that the Superbowl winner takes the last pick, with the order following in reverse. Maybe it’s just because I’m a bigger football fan than basketball, or maybe it’s because all percentages essentially equate to 50-50 for me.

Either way, it’s unanimous as to which system is more entertaining. The NBA’s superior table tennis/bingo system is wacky and fun, while the NFL just plain makes sense.

Even more proof that people will watch anything that involves a ball.

Euro Trip

By Chris

The NFL regular season has not even played a down on European soil yet and they’re already talking about making a comeback. Peter King reports that the Kansas City Chiefs are likely the next team to host a game overseas, this time in Germany. “Look for Kansas City to play in Germany against a still-to-be-determined foe -- probably in 2008,” King wrote yesterday in his on-line Monday Morning Quarterback column. “My guess is the opponent will be Buffalo, one of the non-division foes the Chiefs are slated to play at home in 2008, but we'll see.”

If you recall, Buffalo was among one of the teams thought to be playing in London next season when the idea was first proposed. The Giants and Dolphins, however, were selected to participate. My concern is not with the Bills being among the teams that might go overseas (it’s likely that all teams will play in another country at some point in the near future). It’s with the whole international idea as a whole.

Most local businesses, in all NFL cities, thrive on the extra traffic on Sunday game days. Take away a home game from a team, and hard-working people are losing money. Football is not like the other Big Four sports in that there aren’t 40+ home games. In the NFL, you get eight games at home, and if your team has a very good year, you might be lucky to have one or two more. Take a home team overseas for a regular season game and people in that city suffer.

So why are they doing this? Roger Goodell and his team of suits can tell us all they want about promoting the game, but it’s all about the bottom line. As King writes, the Dolphins-Giants game sold out in 90 minutes. The Germany game will certainly be a hot ticket, as well. The Germans love the NFL almost as much as they love The ’Hoff. All but one of the teams in NFL Europe..errr…NFL Europa are located in Germany. So it’s a guaranteed financial success going back.

And it’s that bottom line that the NFL cares most about. We in Buffalo have seen firsthand that fans are secondary with the league’s blackout rules. It doesn’t matter to them if a city is left in the dark because they have plenty of other cities salivating for a team and still have enough big money sponsors and other TV deals to keep their pockets lined. Money is all that matters to the NFL and the international games are another example of this. An entire city will be left empty here, but if it means that the NFL can attract new partners in their multi-billion dollar operation, then, in their eyes, they have succeeded. It sucks for the fans and that city’s economy that they will lose a home game, but it would be a shock to me if the NFL really even cared.

Thanks are in order

A special thanks to BfloBlog for their kind words about The Roost today.

Make sure you check out their site as well, it has firmly established itself as one of the premier Buffalo sporting blogs.

With an end, comes a new beginning....

As was the case last year, the extended Sabres playoff run severely cut into my time generally reserved for baseball in the summer months. Now that the Sabres season is over, I am proud to say that baseball season has finally started. Well..... for me, at least.

That's not to say that I won't watch the remainder of the NHL playoffs. There is no hockey like playoff hockey. There are some intriguing storylines that could play out. Many people forget that Dominik Hasek played his hockey up in Canada's capitol last season, before injuring that tissue paper groin of his at the Olympics. That thrust Ray Emery into the spotlight, and well...... that didn't work out so well (last year, at least).

The entire country of Canada seems to be behind the Sens at this point (if you believe Hockey Night in Canada coverage), and I seem to remember Chris Pronger betraying a Canadian team this past off-season after the city of Edmonton found themselves in a love affair with him. Granted, this story is a bit of a stretch, but you can be sure that all of Edmonton and the Canadian bandwagon fans will be pulling for an Anaheim exit.

On to baseball......

This story puzzles me: Report: Yankees might try to void Giambi’s deal (ESPN.com)

Major League Baseball as a whole has dug themselves a hole. They knew something was going on during the great home run chase of 1998, but there was no steroid policy in place, so Bud Selig essentially batted a blind eye. Here we are, some nine years later, and the only current player who is acknowledging the problem and admitted he made a mistake might be ostracized from his team? What's even more mind boggling is that a struggling team like the Yanks would even consider getting rid of one of their best and most productive players. A team that is struggling to score runs ousting one of their best RBI men? Granted, he's not having an outstanding year, but still.... this makes very little sense.

I'm also aware that this is all based on a "report" from "unnamed sources." So this rumor could very well have been started by the hot dog vendor behind the right field bleachers in the Bronx.

Also, the Giambi USA Today interview is one of the most blown out of proportion stories I have ever heard. Jason Giambi took steroids. This isn't new. He apologized for it in 2003, though he never said what he was apologizing for. Anyone who thinks he was saying sorry for anything else needs to have their head checked. So here we are, four years later, and now he's getting heat for shooting 'roids (or taking the clear, or rubbing the cream, or whatever)? How does this make sense?

One thing I do know, I support Jason Giambi. He sounds genuinely remorseful, and he is the only current player to be somewhat upfront about 'roids. He went through the motions in 2003, he got clean, he doesn't deserve to go through it again. The worst part about this whole thing is that the general baseball public agrees with him. MLB does owe it's fans an apology, especially older fans who lived through the dead-ball era and remembered a time where drugs didn't rule the sport.

Excelsior

By Ryan


I didn’t think I would be this calm. Last year, after Game 7 against the Hurricanes, I cried. There, I’ll admit it. I was alone driving around in my car, and I just started crying. It started building as soon as the empty net goal was scored, and I really felt it when I said goodbye to my mother; her eyes were already welling up.

I cried because we lost, but it was also what else I was losing. Ever since I was a little boy, I dreamed of the day one of my teams would win a championship and I could come in to school celebrating. It’s been a strange dream of mine since I can remember, to be able to just hug strangers, proudly wear a jersey and know you are the best team out there. I even just wanted to consider going in to school, or taking the day off to celebrate at home. The Red Sox winning it all in 2004 was amazing, but it wasn’t the same as having everyone in it with you. I wanted that joy.

So when last year’s Eastern Conference Finals ended, so ended that dream with it. It was more than that, however. I was losing my place in the world, graduating high school and moving on to bigger and more foreign things. All of my friends were going elsewhere, and I knew from that moment on I would be alone in a strange place.

Everything was changing, and that Sabres season abruptly ending characterized everything that was happening in my life. It’s amazing how much a hockey team becomes a part of you. Mine and many lives throughout the area were modeled on this team. The emotions and turmoil of a season carried into my life as well. When this team slumped, so to did my life. When we were rolling, this city rolled right along with it.

Why is it, then, that I was emotionless when Daniel Alfredsson shot alluded Ryan Miller? After all, I was in the building, and was just as shocked as everyone else in Western New York. What was it that made my face stone and my mouth wordless at 9:22 of the first overtime?
Honestly, I still don’t know. The goal was a surprise, yes. Anyone can tell you that. Anyone can also tell you that the Senators should have been celebrating minutes before that after a miracle stick save by Miller in front of a yawning net just three minutes in. A true hockey fan also realizes that Maxim Afinogenov’s power play goal doesn’t happen if not for the refs evening things up after a questionable string of penalties and non calls against the Sabres in the second period. (Penalties that were not capitalized on, mind you)

The point is this: they had their chances. A power play with just over two minutes left is more than enough to send the series back to Kanata. In no way am I dogging the Sabres’ effort, but to me it’s clear that this was their game to lose. The same can be said for the other two home games. If we win the third period of Game 1 this series is completely different. An overtime goal in Game 2 does the same.

No, there are so many examples of "what if" and "should have," and after all these years, that’s all we are left with. Personally, I am sick of it. No matter what should have happened, or what did happen, here’s what I know.

This may have been the best chance we had to win something. Ever. Think about this team, the learning curve the rest of the league has had to conform to. Free agency is looming. The "New NHL" is getting older and older, and this team isn’t getting any younger. But those questions are for later on, and once again, we as fans have nothing to do with them.

What we can affect, however, is the legacy this series will end up holding. The city of Buffalo has been on a roller coaster ride with this team since the lockout ended. Not only were there 18,690 people inside HSBC Arena practically willing this team to win, but there was another 10,000 fans outside. Yes, almost 30,000 people converged on downtown Buffalo for one hockey game. The absurdity of that statement is only matched by the impact the team has made on the city. That is not mere dedication, folks, that’s love. Others can say what they want, but this city loves its sports teams, whether good or bad.

If you want to knock this city or this area in any way, you better learn about us first. Ask around. Ask those tens of thousands that were downtown, praying for a miracle. Ask the people that silently filed out of the city, fleeing as if a horrific crime had been committed. It was the biggest murder in Buffalo’s history, 30,000 of hearts ripped out at once. Maybe that’s why I said nothing, what happened in there truly was unspeakable.

You see, sometimes it’s about more than just a game. Hockey is a wonderful, exciting, amazing sport; but this is about more than that. This is about the feeling of a team taking a city on its back. This is about the magic that comes from hockey meaning more than everyday life. Playoff beards overrule wedding tuxes. Graduation ceremonies cut short to make it home for face off. A week’s salary handed over just to feel that arena buzz.

This isn’t Mudville, there is no poetic license. This is Buffalo, and the cold hard truth of defeat. It is during moments like these where we realize we may never have it. There may never be a victory parade, and we may never be able to tell our children where we were when "it" happened. Thoughts like this keep me and thousands of others awake some nights, terrified by an uncertain future.

But maybe that is the wonderful thing about this city. Through all that pain, all the hurt of unfulfilled expectations, and the harsh realities of a declining city, we still exist. Sometimes existing is just half of the battle, a battle in which those that remain are more than willing to fight. In all my years this city has been hurt many times, but it has never been broken.

And so we will shed our tears and wonder what could have been. As summer sets in and flowers bloom, our attention will be split once again as lives go back to normal. The spring will fade into memories as we try to once again move on. After all, it’s only sports, right?

No. Wrong. It’s everything, and that’s why it matters.

Wake Up Call

By Chris

If you ever have a chance to go to a playoff game in which your team is facing elimination, please take my advice: Don’t. It is one of the most stressful things I think you can do to yourself short of taking your road test three times in a row. Your time literally lives and dies with every shot, every save. And if that game goes to overtime? Forget it. You’ve already taken six years off of your life by just sitting there. I started writing this column over 12 hours ago and I'm finally just able to rationalize my thoughts here on Sunday morning. It is a great experience to go to the arena and the game was fun while it lasted, but like the 2006-07 season of the Buffalo Sabres, all good things must come to an end.

Daniel Alfredsson wrote perfect poetry when he scored the overtime winner to eliminate the Sabres yesterday. After all, it was Alfredsson whom Jason Pominville danced around to score the series clincher last season. In Game Five. On the road. In overtime. Sound familiar?

The Sens captain is playing the best hockey of his career, and is finally letting people forget about his past postseason failures, much like Peyton Manning was able to do on his road to a Super Bowl Championship. He stepped up and scored when it counted. It didn’t matter than three Sabres were on him or that the winning shot went in off of Brian Campbell’s stick, which he claims it did. The fact is that the shot went in and he got credit for it. His line was huge all series and they definitely came to play on Saturday. Alfredsson, Heatley and Spezza contributed on all three Sens goals, picking up a combined seven points. That’s unbelievable, to get that much production out of one line. And they’ve been doing it all playoffs. No one has been able to effectively shut them down. But of course now they’re just asking for trouble. Why did you touch the Prince of Wales Trophy, Alfie? Why?

Herb Brooks once said, “Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.” And that was the difference in the Sabres-Senators series. Talent-wise, the teams were pretty much even, but Ottawa displayed that extra drive and a little more desire in their play. The Sabres claimed that the Stanley Cup was supposed to be theirs last season and that they only had one goal this season: to win it all. However, they didn’t play like champions this postseason. They weren’t the same team we fell in love with last year. They were the favorites and couldn’t live up to the hype. Ottawa on the other hand, with the least amount of pressure on them in years, took advantage of the underdog role they assumed and came into the playoffs hungrier than anyone. They played like we did last season, scoring timely goals, capitalizing on special teams, and blocking shots like no one’s business. The Senators just flat out worked harder than the Sabres did and earned every win they got.

I’m still not sold on Ray Emery, though. After all, John Muckler’s plan at the beginning of the season was to have their free agent signing Martin Gerber in net. But Gerber and his 3-year, $11.1 million salary faltered early on in the regular season, and Emery took over as one of the best goalies all year. He was the back-up plan. And so far he’s been just good enough to win games behind possibly the all-around best starting defense in the NHL. He hasn’t stolen a game for the Senators yet this playoff, and it’s unclear if he can. But I can see Anaheim and Detroit cashing in those rebounds like Buffalo, New Jersey, and Pittsburgh largely were unable to.

As for that Ottawa defense, they’re not going anywhere soon. Tom Preissing, the corps’ supposed weak link of the Sens defense, who finished the Sabres series with an even +/- rating, is their only free agent in the starting six. Redden and Meszaros enter their contract year next season and Corvo, Phillips and shot-blocking monster Anton Volchenkov are all locked up for the next 3-4 years. The Senators lost their horse, Zdeno Chara to free agency last season and remarkably, they got stronger in their own end this year. The Sabres will play this Sens defense eight times in the regular season, and this year certainly won’t be the last time they play Ottawa in the playoffs. Buffalo will need to find the right players that will be able to crack the Ottawa defense, or build up their blue line to become more physical against that Alfredsson line.

A key component in the Buffalo system that will not need to be reinvented is the goaltending Ryan Miller is an elite playoff goalie. This series, he solidified himself among the best goaltenders in the game today. I hear people saying how he’s “on the cusp of stardom” and he’s “close to becoming a great goalie.” Sorry, folks, but he’s already there. The soft goals we saw in the regular season are far and few between in the playoffs and he has a knack of putting out his best saves when his team needs them the most. If it wasn’t for Ryan Miller, Ottawa would have eliminated Buffalo in three games. But Miller kept coming to the rink and showing up when it mattered. His team was able to rally around him and pulled out an inspiring Game Four win on Wednesday. Miller has been huge for the Sabres since the postseason began and is easily the team’s Conn Smythe winner.

Two Miller saves from this year’s run will forever stand out in my mind because they exemplified what he has meant to this team:

1. Round One. Game Five. You know the save I’m talking about. It was right there on the front page of the paper the next morning and on the highlight shows all day. With the Sabres squandering a three goal lead heading into the third, the Islanders made it a game, pulling within one with 6:53 remaining in regulation. The game was put on the shoulders of Miller, who made a career-defining save with under a minute to play. Former Sabre and current villain Miroslav Satan cut in on goal with twelve seconds left and seemingly deked Miller out to put in the tying goal. But Miller’s positioning and fundamentals are so good, that it’s very hard to completely take him out of any play. While on his back, Miller’s outstretched glove smothered the shot and the Sabres held on for the win. Miller doesn’t make that save and the entire series could have been turned on its ear.

2. The stick save in overtime yesterday. Simply unbelievable. I was watching from the other end of the ice, and all I was able to see were bodies in front and sticks slapping away at an invisible puck. I had a sick feeling in my stomach that the red light was going to be shining bright any moment. It’s an awful feeling to watch your season possibly go down the drain in an instant. I was like Rory Fitzpatrick, unable to find the puck in my skates in last year’s Game Seven as Rod Brind’amour put home the winning goal, only I couldn’t see where the puck was because of the chaos in front of Miller. The red light was going to be the determining factor for me. And then the puck came out and we started back down the ice. It wasn’t over yet. I didn’t know what happened or how that puck didn’t find the back of the net. It was right there for Ottawa’s taking. The Jumbotron’s replay of the save was brief and I thought I saw Miller’s stick bat that away but I still wasn’t sure. No way he stopped that shot. But he did, and the team was still alive, if only for a few more minutes. Two bad bounces cost the Sabres two games in the Conference Finals. Other than that, I don’t know what else you can ask for from Ryan Miller.

Miller gave his team a chance to win every night, much like Hasek did in the late nineties. Sure the team in front of Miller is more skilled, but they don’t have the defense-first attitude of those Goathead teams. The Ryan Miller Sabres have been free-wheeling offensively, which makes it all the more important to have consistently solid goaltender if “The System” breaks down. I believe Miller has the potential to be a better goaltender in the playoffs than Hasek was when he was here. However, we still haven’t seen Miller advance past the Conference Finals to get a shot at the championship that eluded Hasek while he was in Buffalo. The window may be closed this year, but I have a feeling this won’t be the last time we see Ryan Miller have success in the postseason.

The Legend of Chris Drury also continued to grow on Saturday. When Chris Drury took that puck to the face in the third period and skated off for repairs, there was no question that he was coming back. The biggest concern in the building was whether or not he’d be back by the end of regulation. And that’s what Drury brings to the table. That is what he means to his hockey club. There was no way he would allow anyone to shut him down. Stop the bleeding, stitch it up, get me back out there. That’s Drury’s mentality. And as fans, we’ve come to expect it. I was watching the bench just as closely as I was the play on the ice to see when he’d make his return. His team needed him and there was no way he was going to let them down. We believed Drury would not only come back, but would touch the ice and make an impact. After all, if you’re on the ice than you had better give it your all because anything less is unacceptable. It’s that mind-set that has allowed the fans of Buffalo to change from pessimistic naysayers to optimistic dreamers like never before.

Of course Drury returned to the bench. It just took him a little longer than we expected, rejoining his teammates just after overtime began, but he came back. On his first shift in overtime, wearing what looked like a mouth guard straight out of an orthodontist’s office, the puck came to Drury in front of the Ottawa net and the Sabres just failed to score. The guy sitting two seats away from me leaned over to his wife and said, “How storybook would that have been?

That’s when it hit me. We don’t have storybooks in Buffalo. Buffalo has nice stories where the hero always falls short. We always fall short. But instead of expecting the Sabres to miss that shot, as the puck slid across the crease, we expected the red light to go on. We believed. That’s what this Sabres team has done for us. That’s what all of the miserable defeats have done to us. One day, that red light will go on for us. We’ll get that bounce or catch that pass or make that kick. But not this year. The story is over and we don’t have that fairy tale ending. The Red Sox had to wait 86 years, the White Sox’s drought lasted 88 years, and the Cubs are still waiting for their first title since 1908. I pray that the people of Buffalo don’t have to wait that long.

So what’s next? We don’t know and only time will tell. Briere and Drury are both free agents and it’s clear that the four-man rotation of defenseman Ruff used in the final two games isn’t going to cut it come next season. Special teams will need retooling and possibly their own coach. There are some key unrestricted free agents on the market, including not only Briere and Drury, but Ryan Smyth, Jason Blake, Bill Guerin, and Scott Gomez, as well. And oh yeah, both Darcy Regier and Lindy Ruff are essentially free agents. Getting them under contract first should be the top priority of Tom Golisano and Larry Quinn.

While we may not know what the coming months have in store, we can be sure of one thing: as long as Ryan Miller is between the pipes for the Buffalo Sabres, we have a shot at being a contender every year.

On pins and needles

By Chris

Last week, Sports Illustrated reminded me why baseball is such a great sport, because of players like Grady Sizemore. Average, hard-working guys with extraordinary talent going through the grind of a 162-game schedule in a game filled with strategy and skill. Guys like Sizemore appreciate what they’ve earned and author Tom Verducci reminded us in this feature that, unfortunately, these “throwback” players, who dig it out after every at-bat and run down every fly ball, the guys who are in it for love of the game above all else, are far and few between these days.

Verducci seems to be on a quest to move past the negatives of the steroid era, and has used his columns and features to focus on the good of the game. In the few years since the end of the Steroid Era, he’s talked about the reemergence of small ball, what it’s like to go through spring training through the eyes of both a major leaguer and an umpire and has been praising Daisuke Matsuzaka and the improving state of the game internationally.

So how does SI follow up that great Sizemore cover piece? By putting Barry Bonds’ head on the front page, which I now assume is as large as the actual Golden Gate Bridge:

Thanks for reminding me of everything I hate about the game, team salaries aside. This week’s issue also had a tremendous piece about Mike Tomlin (only the third Steelers coach in 38 years and a minority to boot), two articles on Detroit sports teams (the Pistons and the Red Wings, each now in the Conference Finals of their respective sports) and an another article about how Phil Mickelson isn’t a choker anymore (he won the Players Championship last week and was the cover boy for SI’s Masters issue). But who do they choose? The most hated man in America not in an elected office.

Granted the Great Home Run Chase is a legitimate story, but the focus of the article is to let people know that not even the people of San Francisco really care. They’d rather talk about the Warriors and worry about Bonds breaking the record whenever he gets closer. Many will defend Bonds, citing that if he juiced, then the pitching had to be juiced, too, so it's a wash. Others say that it’s just another home run until he comes within two or three of the record. They seem generally bored with him. The article even has little kids telling the world how much they despise Bonds and hope he gets banned from the game. There really is little local buzz surrounding Barry’s bat. If they don't care, why should I?

Bonds may say it’s because he’s black and everyone else is racist. Really, Barry? Could you please tell me whose record you’re really chasing? Henry Aaron, right? Isn’t he African-American, too? The racism cry is just a crutch because he doesn’t want anyone to talk about the problems he’s caused himself. Curt Schilling told us that much, but even that was uncalled for, and just threw more gasoline onto the Barry Bonds bonfire. The truth is that there’s so much baggage that comes with Bonds that people are generally just tired of him. From a possible indictment on allegations of perjury to the sacred record, it’s refreshing when SportsCenter doesn’t talk about him for a night.

Unfortunately, this won’t be the last time the steroid issue will be thrown in our faces, especially as Bonds inches closer to 756. This issue of SI came to my doorstep a week after David Ortiz admitted that he might have taken steroids. After all, who knows what they put in the water back in the Dominican Republic, and on the same day Jason Giambi decided to open his big yapper to USA Today about this topic, saying that Major League Baseball should have stepped up to the plate years ago to apologize for all of the problems that have resulted from the steroid scandal. Hopefully Giambi expects the apology to be more detailed and sincere than the "apology" he gave in 2005. Even at the end of that article, he still refused to talk about it. Way to step up, guys, now please just shut up.

ESPN the Magazine also continues to provide in-depth investigative reports from inside clubhouses about the steroid issue from nine years ago. The cover story of their current issue (another cover of the issue features Chuck Liddell...and UFC is clean, right?) tackles another such report, as the blurb promises to tell us, “how clubhouse gofer’s became baseball’s steroid connection.” It discusses how intimate some "clubbies" have gotten with players, but still no names are really named and it's all mainly still specualtion. I just don’t care anymore. It’s still far too early to judge the steroid era, anyways, and it will be as long as those central figures involved (Bonds, Sammy Sosa, Giambi, Miguel Tejada, and so on) are still in the game. For all we know, it may still be going on, since substances like HGH still aren’t being tested for by MLB. Way to be firm on that one, Bud.

So why burden the public about yesterday’s problems when we’re still not even sure how to feel about them? I still don’t know how to feel about Sosa. Should we be happy he’s made it back to the Show, or shower him with boo’s because he’s an alleged user? We just don’t know. Why not just enjoy today’s current crop of stars, like Sizemore and Jonathan Papelbon, Jose Reyes and Cole Hamels? Is it too hard to just sit back and enjoy sports anymore?