The Miseducation of Mike Weber

by Ryan

With half of our defensive core exploding on Monday, some replacements seem to be pretty obvious. Here is the latest on Spacek and Kalinin, but what we know for now is that neither are playing tonight. So what's left of our D? Sounds like list time to me...

- Teppo Numminen- Yeah, right.

- Nathan Paetsch- "Banged up." Awesome.

- Toni Lydman- played 29:27 on Monday, looks like an extra from "Spinal Tap."

- Andrej Sekera- Played 25:42 on Monday, still nicknamed "Balls."

- Nolan Pratt- unemployed Hannah Montana fan until November.

- Hank "the Tank" Tallinder- most likely coming back from injury tonight. (PRAISE JESUS!)

Okay, I count five serviceable there. Who's the 6th option? Drew Schiestel? Michael Funk? Me? Nope, Mike Weber.

To be honest I'm pretty high on Mike Weber. He and Sekera were the Amerks' top D pair this year and judging from what we've seen out of Sekera lately the pair has gotten much better. As much as we rag on him, Andrej has played some outstanding hockey for a rookie thrown into the mix and I feel much better about him in the starting six come October.

Both Chris and I have seen Weber play in Rochester since he was sent back down earlier in the year. Here's what I thought of him:

The Amerks D was downright awful collectively, but Weber certainly stood out to me. He was aggressive and tough, and was rarely out of position. That tentative look he has in Buffalo was nowhere to be seen. In the second period, he took a hit at the blue line, then looked to get kicked in the head while down. Weber flips out, throws his gloves off before he even gets up, and starts to go after whoever kicked him. A Bulldog (Ryan O'Byrne) jumps in from behind, and Weber beats the tar out of him, slamming him to the ice while continuing to wrestle as the linesman pull him off. If this is how the kid will play when comfortable, then I feel much better about our future blueline.

"A Visit to "The Hammer"", 11/12/07

And Chris:

Andrej Sekera and Mike Weber showed why they are Rochester's top defensive pairing. Sekera looks great, but not quite ready to handle the NHL full-time. Weber is big and mean. I personally liked what I saw from him in his brief stint with the Sabres and he can only get better. Both players should make strong cases as to why they should be in the NHL out of training camp next fall.

A Trip to the Farm, 12/29/07

Sounds about the same, doesn't it? He's not going to be a guy making that crisp clean breakaway pass but he can be serviceable in a pinch. This is a pretty good example of a pinch, so I think he should be able to do the job. As the top prospect in the system, he is expected to step up to the task. We shall see.

Time to break out the mustard, this time with a side of desperation.

Training Camp: The Photoblog

by Ryan

Why thank you.

Hrm... for some reason I feel like something is missing...

This afternoons' officials. I'm sure that AHL ref is thrilled.

But not as thrilled as Drew Stafford is.

Thibault, Connolly, and Roy

Soupy skates into frame looking for our boy...

Drew Schiestel, who never seems to show his face

If RBK had their way, this would be a Mini Cooper.

Oh boy! I hope it's a "VEINSVEINSVEINS" ad...

Going to become a bit more crowded up there in a few weeks...

Gazing off into the distance, Ryan Miller ponders a life in the modern nuclear era. Or maybe what's on Oprah today...

I swear he looked at me, and it made my heart sing. Er... I gave him a nod.

5-2 losers, the blue team prepares to...

Skate lazy suicides with the rookies.

Now that's poetry.

My God I cannot wait for October 5th.

Halloweenhead

by Ryan


People say there is nothing to write about these days. To them I say "bah!" and "bah!" again.

Consider the following: we are on the cusp of a football season that will be at the very least ridiculously entertaining. Considering the youth in our defensive core we may be leaping off the Peace Bridge by week three, but at least we have a starting running back with Grills. These things do matter.

To match that we have a brand new Sabres season around the bend; a season that may be a bit less magnified now that we are currently captainless. For those of you keeping score at home, however, we did not suddenly transform into the worst team in the league. Anyone feeling an 0-82 season coming on may leave now. Same goes for your clowns who bought discounted Flyers gear off NHL.com this summer. You can cuddle with Marty on your own time.


The point is this: we have a good chance at having two entertaining teams playing alongside each other this fall, and that makes me all warm and fuzzy. In fact, October is the beginning of the "sweet spot" of the Buffalo sports season. Both Buffalo teams play from then until at least January; with Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years in between. I'm giddy just thinking about the snow.


To illustrate how sweet this fall will be, I'm posting some killer Halloween decorations I saw today. Yes, I know it's early, but this is the blog that went to Sabres rookie camp to see our boy Drew Schiestel in action. We're early risers on this kind of thing.

This is by far the coolest funhouse I've ever seen. There are three points of entry, bats hanging inside, and a skeleton knight and the grim reaper are guarding the door. Although the $300 price tag is a bit much today, you have to consider the UFA market and what it will cost for one of these in two years. You know what, Mr. Lowe, give Sam's Club $500 for it and call it Dustin Penner. The kids will love it.

This one is a bit cheaper, but in all honesty, price doesn't matter with this. If you can't tell, that's a hearse driven by the Grim Reaper. Not only do the lanterns actually work, but the horses' eyes gleam as well. I know Christmas has sort of cornered the market with these inflatable lawn ornaments, but judging from that terrified child running away on the right, I think that is no longer the case. That hearse is going to show up on some rich kid's front lawn, and he'll be so preoccupied with all the other cool stuff he has he won't even notice. Meanwhile, you are stuck with those freaking plastic pumpkins and a hanging cardboard skeleton.

God I hate the Rangers.

Draft Profile: Drew Schiestel

Drew Schiestel is a Toronto Blue Jays fan. That is about all we can say about him without crossing into some sketchy territory. It is important to remember at a time like this just how young these draft picks are, and with that youthful attitude comes an empty understanding of the spotlight.

There are millions of teenagers that have Facebook or Myspace pages, and very few of them realize what is being put into a public space for people to see. Even a mere blogger can do a Google search and come across intimate details of someone suddenly thrust into the spotlight. And so while we came to find out more about the 6'1" center from Hamilton, we also respect his and his friends' privacy.

Drew Schistel is the 59th pick overall. He really, really wants Rage Against the Machine to tour again, and is very proud to reside in Hamilton. In one group he is classified as a "Power Play QB/Faceoff Specialist," which is something we all can appreciate. There are a ton of action shots of him on ice, and from those I'm happy to report that he is not afraid to crash the net.

On a completely unrelated note, there is a group shot of him at Ralph Wilson Stadium watching a Bills game. That is just plain exciting to me. If anyone can get a grip on what sports mean to this area, a Bills fan from Canada is as close as you can get.

Drew Schiestel isn't afraid to have a good time. Neither are his friends. That is all that has to be said. But no matter what that may make him in your mind, he's still a good hockey player. One group that stood out to me was "Brothers that are just living the dream." Yeah, I think I can live with this kid on my team. The game means something to him, just like it does to all of us.

Drew Schiestel: Man of Mystery.