Sticking it to "The Man", One Auction at a Time

by Ryan

Now I've seen some things, but this this is one of the most absurd things I've ever seen.

I know I'm the guy that frequents NHL charity auctions, but you have to admit that thing is pretty sweet compared to some slobbered up football cards. Somehow it seems like a reach when you drop over seven grand on ripped up Vick cards.

Ebay is one of those places that compliments the sports scene quite well. It has become an extension of the sports collectibles industry, which makes a living on just how crazy some people are. I mean, everyone loves when David Ortiz tries to sell his car on Ebay, but people really dig deep when they can make a point about dogfighting.

I am a fan of the activity, however. Scarcity rules the industry, and every card sent to the dogs means that this bad boy goes up in value.

Of course the money goes towards a good cause, but I just don't see the impact a gimmick like this will have. Now if we could bid on the naming rights of Travis Henry's next kid, then we'll talk.

(For the record, if it's a girl: Moondance, a boy: Rufus)

No Comment? No problem!

by Ryan


It may be hard to believe, but I feel last night was the start of Monday Night Football's turnaround.

There was something about the booth combination and the Michael Vick Saga that seemed to show off everything Monday Night Football should be. And while it may pain Joe Theismann to hear this, I actually enjoyed the broadcast. A lot.

Sure, there was plenty of Michael Vick overkill. Interviews were done with people that may or may not know anything about the ongoing drama. But when it came to the Falcons organization, no punches were pulled.

I think what works about the MNF crew is that not only do they come from a diverse background, they all happen to like eachother. I'm not sure if anyone else noticed this, but Theismann hated Tony Kornheiser, and Tony seemed to enjoy this. Now while that does make for some great comedy, it does not make for a smooth broadcast.

With Ron Jaworski in the booth this year, however, things seem to go much better. Jaws is one of those guys that loves the game so much he could talk about it forever. If anyone has stayed up on a Saturday and watched one of those 4 A.M. "NFL Matchup" shows, you know what I'm talking about. Watching Jaws makes you feel smarter after you're done, like you could actually understand the Tampa Two scheme. That may not be what some people want in their football broadcast, but I think Jaws does provide something that has been missing from most TV crews in the past: Football IQ.

Mike Tirico is bland, predictable, and doesn't have much to offer in regards to commentary. I think that works for him because he has someone like Tony Kornheiser to do that for him. Tony isn't afraid to tell you what he feels, and while his fantasy ramblings have been annoying, he seems to be more on point this year.

The different backgrounds and styles of the three seem to bring a pretty equal viewpoint of the action. The football broadcast itself was smooth and enjoyable. (well... as enjoyable as a preseason game goes.) Kornheiser made the usual jokes, Tirico said what he was supposed to, and Jaws analyzed everything he saw. He was spot on in reading a blitz late in the game, and his football IQ will help others understand how the game works.

The most telling moment of the broadcast came when it was disclosed that ESPN was not allowed to ask any questions to the Falcons players during their sideline interviews. Kornheiser took notice of this, calling for accountability from the Falcons organization and letting their players speak for themselves. He spoke as a journalist, not as a guy in a booth getting paid by tWWL.

Jaws then defended the Falcons, saying that they are trying to move past the issue. It was an interesting paralell to Tony, and one that shows the strengths of the booth. It just didn't feel like there was a company line drawn, but rather Monday Night Football was used to spotlight and discuss one of the most interesting and devestating stories of the NFLs history.

I'm not saying that Mike Vick and his legal troubles hasn't been talked about; it certianly has and will continue to be. But tonight, when anyone who really cared about football was watching, the issue was properly discussed and explored. There was no yelling, no points awarded, just questions asked and acountability demanded.

Everyone is sick of watching "First and 10", "Mike and Mike", or Sportscenter anchors editorialize over the situation. Every fan has their own opinion on the issue, and no amount of yelling is going to make their own view catch on. Still, it was nice to see it properly handled on the one of football's biggest stages.

This whole "Mike Vick" thing isn't going to go away. The least we can do is a fair look at it.

Live! From Bristol! It's Monday Morning!

By Jon

Just when I thought the train-wreck that is Cold Pizza, err....., "ESPN First Take" couldn't get any worse, someone has to go and call Roger Goodell a communist.

Read that again. It happened.

Doug Stewart, who apparently has a radio show called 2 Live Stews, was asked how long Goodell would suspend Vick after his prison sentence during the First and Ten segment, and responded by "accidentally" calling the commish by the name of none other than Fidel Castro. Yes, because the commish of the most powerful sport in the US is doing his best to rid his game of criminal activity, he is now being compared to a communist dictator who is a public enemy of our country. Classy Doug, real classy.

Maybe Mr. Stewart has a point. Goodell imposing an indefinite suspension on a convicted dog fighter/torture extroardinaire is just as big of a catastrophe as Castro allowing nuclear missiles to be pointed at the US at the height of the Cold War, if you think about it. They're both tragedies. The latter because our entire nation was at risk, the former because our great nation can't watch the so-called "most electrifying player in the game." I for one, will surely miss Vick not being able to find anyone other than Alge Crumpler open and putting his leadership skills (or lack therof) to good use as his team loses game after game.

Goodell is coming down hard on the players. His league has become synonymous with criminals and law-breaking, and he's trying to clean it up. Basically, this is what he is faced with: Leave the players alone and deal with the media telling him they are morally inept, or punishing his players and get called a communist by some douchebag on a god-awful show on a terrible network's second-rate station. Tough choice, really.

(Sidenote: You need to do something really awful to be called a douchebag when Skip Bayless (AKA the doucheist of the douche bags) is sitting four feet from you. This feat may never be topped. Congrats to the whole Stewart family.)

An HD View of Imaginary Football

by Ryan


Preseason games just don't have excitement attached to them. A fan's feelings during preseason football can be broken down into a few simple categories:

1. Oh no that guy's on my fantasy team please get up.
2. We suck because we are hiding the good plays.
3. That 4th stringer isn't that bad.
4. Thank God I didn't pay to watch this.
   

Well, I did pay to go see the Bills' first preseason game. But thanks to the fine folks at Stubhub, I paid a mere $4 for this beautiful view. Suffice to say, the parking cost more than my entire night, food included.

The first thing I noticed when I got to my seat was the new Jumbotron, which is as good as advertised. My camera phone couldn't get a very good picture of it, but let me assure you that the picture quality is as crisp as I've ever seen. My only complaint is that they somehow didn't have room for the timeouts on the main screen. The fact that you could probably watch the game from Batavia on it does seem to make up for that, however.

Just after the kickoff the injury cart went flying by with Ryan Denney on it. Turns out he has a broken foot, which is probably the worst text message the Bills have sent me all season. Anthony Hargrove had a very good game tonight, but with his suspension looming the Bills have suddenly become very weak at Defensive End.

I was let down by the lack of Vick-related paraphernalia at tonight's game. Really thought the ad wizards would have stepped it up for us. Don't you think the PA should have played "Who Let the Dogs Out?" when the Falcons took the field? Shouldn't that be mandatory for all their road games this year?

The good news is that the Joey Harrington Experience is everything it has been advertised. Other than gift wrapping an interception for Terrence McGee he was mostly designated to hand the ball off to "everyone but Jerious Norwood". A young man by the name of Snelling did some damage against the Bills run D, but Coy Wire also blew him up on a shuffle pass from a panicked Harrington.

Poz was a key stopper in a Goalline stand on Hotlanta's first possession, and made a few key tackles in the face of blockers. He continues to look good as a rookie, impressing me enough to consider a jersey purchase.

Marshawn Lynch was much more active in tonight's game, and looked comfortable starting. He was also the coolest post game interview, reminding me again of why I am going to love him in the backfield. Unlike other rookies, he doesn't seem to be prepped on what to say to the press, and was both candid and entertaining with his comments. I personally can't wait to watch him when it counts.

Also looking much more poised was J.P. Losman, who continues to look less frantic in the pocket. His new snapper Duke Preston didn't help him much, and his balls were a bit off at times, but I will take baby steps from J.P., especially in a preseason game.

Trent Edwards looked very good again tonight. Playing the entire second half, he made the throw of the night to Roscoe Parrish for a touchdown. Rolling to his left, he stopped in the face of a defender, set his feet, and threw a perfect sideline pass to Parrish five yards deep in the end zone. I don't smell a QB controversy brewing, but suddenly that draft pick doesn't seem so pointless anymore.

With preseason football it is hard to know what to make of the results, both positive and negative. Anything can be scrutinized and overblown because of the simple fact that the results are meaningless. When the final score doesn't matter, anyone can make one good catch mean a jump up the depth chart; just as one blown coverage is worthy of walking papers.

What does matter was that it felt good to be back in Orchard Park. For the first time in months football was relevant in Buffalo, and while the score didn't matter, it felt good to be a part of it.

Fantasy Football and some more Bucky Bashing

by Rich


Training camp is about to start, and that can only mean one thing: fantasy football drafts! This year I'm looking to defend my league title, and more importantly, win the coveted "Best Name In The League" award. The problem with this, of course, is that you can only name your team once; this leads to an overflow of ideas that for whatever reason just didn't make the final cut. We're here to serve you the reader, so without further ado, the Goose's Roost presents our first annual:

Top 10 Things I Should Have Named My Fantasy Team

1) Vick's Veterinarians
2) Brady's Other Babies
3) The Virginia Killing Fields
4) Larry Johnson's Torn Meniscus
5) Ookie in Orange
6) Poles For Posluszny
7) Bad Newz Bears
8) The Overrated White Guys
9) Sex Cannons*
10) Construda Crusaders


*The term "Sex Cannon" is the work of the guys over at Kissing Suzy Kolber, a blog we at the Roost take great enjoyment in.


Also, while I'm pimping blogs, check out my solo effort at The Buffalo 'Cane. I figured one take on Bucky per site is about the limit, so I aired my thoughts over there. I started this blog just before joining the Roost, and haven't really had much to add there in the meantime. Look for things to pick up soon however, as I'm going to be covering college football as well as some Marlins/Heat/Fins over there.

Thanks for bearing with me through some shameless self-promotion, folks. Don't worry, it's not going to become a habit.

Dear Bucky Gleason,

by Ryan

It's July. To say nothing is going on in the sporting world would be ridiculous. Sports news this July can be summed up with three names: Mike Vick, Tim Donaghy, and Barry Bonds.

It's a depressing collection of trash to say the least, but don't let that get you down, Bucky Gleason is here to make everything better. Wow, glad you put that all into perspective for us. Thank you Bucky, you nearsighted moron.

Listen, buddy, I know it's July and there is nothing going on of interest in Buffalo, but that load of garbage you just made the news print is irreconcilable. I may go and plant a tree or two right now just to make up for your utter waste of printable newspaper. I'm still shocked that somehow you made 590 consecutive words morph into a huge, heaping pile of badger feces.

Just to be clear, let's recap. Bucky blamed us for tampering with the NBA, dogfighting, Rae Carruth, rape, steriods, ticket prices, and Tonya Harding. Wow, I'm not even mad; that's amazing.

But I guess we do owe Bucky an apology. It is our fault that we all don't follow his vendetta against Sabres management. Of course many of us are upset with how the offseason has worked out, but none of us have been banging the war drums and insisting we knew things they didn't. Now we are the true reason this offseason hasn't worked out, and why ticket prices are going up eight percent, prompting him to lash out with this:

"Funny, but every time you hold people accountable in sports, you’re certain to hear from people who want to know why you’re picking on their favorite teams. Gee, I don’t know. My guess is that some of us are more interested in facts over self-serving fantasy. "

Ah, there it is again, our ignorant, uneducated ways clashing with his valliant effort to unearth the truth down at Sabres HQ.

Bucky Gleason has no right to tell us how to be fans. There is no need for lecture or scolding, no compulsatory retraining on his behalf. Telling a sports fan they are the cause of everything going wrong in sports is not only shortsighted, but utterly stupid. Just because we make the industry move doesn't mean we are to blame for every misdeed found within. No Falcons fan wants Oookie doing God knows what in his home. No basketball fan wants the sancity of their game tampered with. No Sabres fan wants management to drop the ball on July 1st.

We, Bucky Gleason, are not enablers. We are fans. Fans of a pure, beautiful thing called "the game." When the realted stories become more important then "the game," we all bow our heads in shame.

Don't you dare tell us otherwise.

When You Make it Rain, it Pours

By Rich


Mr. Jones, the men in blue would like to have a word with you. Again. Oh, wait. My mistake, I meant to link you here. Sorry, but you know how it is sometimes...when you hear "Pacman," "strip club," "gunfight," and "police," it all kind of has a tendency to blend together.

To be completely honest, the whole Pacman saga is just entertaining as hell to me. Obviously I don't mean to trivialize the awful things he has "allegedly" been involved in, but it's at the point right now where each successive incident is more rediculous than the last. At this rate, I'm expecting to turn on the news sometime in late July and see Pacman, Mo Clarett, Stephen Jackson and Mike Vick holed up in a Manhattan bank with 25 hostages, demanding a private jet to the Caymans. Actually, is there any way I could arrange for exclusive filming rights to that type of incident? Any Given Sunday meets Dog Day Afternoon...hmm. Interesting. I'd have to cast Roger Goodell as the embattled police negotiator with the failing marriage who's in way over his head, and maybe Marty Biron as the spunky hostage who just won't shut up...


Sorry, that tangent got a little out of hand. I'd just like to point out, by the way, that the Titans needed a DB in the 2005 draft, when they held the 6th overall pick. A lot of people had Miami corner Antrel Rolle rated as the top defensive back on the board, but the Titans passed on him. Why, you may ask? Well, they liked Pacman's return ability. That, and the fact that they didn't want to take a UM player because the organization felt that Canes had too much potential for "character issues." So instead they took Pacman Jones. Way to do your homework on that one, guys. Granted, Rolle has been in and out of the lineup in Arizona with injuries during his first two seasons, but he's been a solid citizen. The Titans? They get Pacman being Pacman, which is sort of like "Manny Being Manny," but with more strippers. And gunfire. And the occasional 79-in-a-55 ticket thrown in for variety.

That's that "U" Karma.