Buffalo musings....

By Jon

A few random musings because I'm far too lazy to elaborate enough on any of them to make them worthy of their own posts.

- Lost in the recent shuffle were rumors of the Cleveland Indians breaking off their affiliation with the hometown Bisons after the upcoming season. While this certainly won't mean the end of the franchise, it will be tough to see the Tribe leave town. Since the Bisons rejoined the International League in 1998, they have finished with a record at or above .500 each season, all while seeing a pretty good amount of Major League talent coming through town. To me, the players coming through are more important than winning at the minor league level. We've seen players such as Grady Sizemore, Victor Martinez, Richie Sexson, and Brian Giles play, all while maintaining a winning atmosphere. Really, a minor league team couldn't possibly ask for more from an affiliation.

So where do they go from here? A partnership that would make sense is Toronto. According to Syracuse.com, the Jays may be in the market for a new AAA team after the season. (Sky)Chiefs fans have grown tired of losing, and management is looking to find a new Major League team after the forthcoming season. While this is purely speculation (I'm not trying to start rumors-- We aren't that kind of blog), a Toronto/Buffalo agreement would make sense for Toronto. The idea of having their top minor league affiliate located just down the QEW may be appealing to the Jays brass. Time shall tell.

- Elaborating on Ryan's recent post, Roger Goodell has become a public enemy to his hometown area. Let's revisit his quote in his state of the NFL address, shall we?

"I think this will be great for all Bills fans," said Goodell. "I think it will give people in Toronto the opportunity to have a game in their market and it will also give the Bills fans an opportunity to go to that game."

Really, Rog? Do you know what would give Bills fans a better opportunity to go to the game(s)? Having the game in Orchard Park, where it belongs. I really don't think he could have made more of a moronic comment. To me, it's a transparent attempt at trying to find some smidgen of a bright side for Bills fans, and he fails miserably. I mean, Sabres fans COULD certainly head up to Toronto to go see the Leafs play, but we don't, because WE HAVE A LOCAL TEAM THAT PLAYS IN BUFFALO. I just hope we will still have a local football team in a few years.

- Ralph Wilson doesn't get off the hook for this either. I don't want to beat a dead horse (USRT and BfloBlog have already touched on it), but Ralph is ruining his incredible legacy in WNY.

Memo to Ralph: You're making millions of dollars, selling out every home game, and you're gonna die in a couple years anyway. Sell the team to someone who will keep the team around, and just shut up.

- Looks like Chris Drury is starting to feel at home. For a decent quick read, check out this article from the NY Daily News. As I type, Dru just put the Rangers up 4-3 with 10 to go in the third against the Habs. It's bittersweet to say, but good for him. He did nothing but battle for us, I wish him well.