MattPie

UPL is like 24 years old. Could he fold? Yes. Could he be coming into his prime (like most goaltenders at that age)? Also yes. The greatest high is being able to smugly say "I told you so".

I suspect that the 2nd round of the playoffs, which often isn't as competitive as the first, is the let-down of going 110% in the first round.

Pizza: that's good, because the pizza I've had from LC is straight up bad. Parks: that's amazing.

Probably, although on the Sabres does he push down Tuch or JJP (or Quinn when he's back)? I don't know at his current age that's a slam dunk to replace any of them. Especially with the Buffalo "play the kids" Sabres.

TIL the owner of the Red Wings also founded Little Caesars. huh. In any case, Detroit has their own style pizza (obvs you know this Doohickie), it's a little thicker than Buffalo, Focaccia crust, and usually square. It's probably descendant of Sicilian.

There are a lot of scenarios here Didn't want to go to Buffalo since they're struggling Knows this might be his last hockey contract so took the most money Buffalo wasn't interested enough or didn't offer much Didn't think he'd crack the top-6 in Buffalo, unlike Detroit (? I have no idea what Detroit looks like this year) Just doesn't like Buffalo pizza after eating deep dish (he is hitting all the "pizza" towns though, Chicago, NYC, and now Detroit)

Yep, I was nominally an Eagles fan during the Reid years (2nd team, of course). People would *rage* about Andy Reid at the end of games. McD is in the same league in that area, and that's not a good thing. Even before this, I was thinking McD's handling of the end of games was similarly questionable.

Yeah, someone at work asked it I was going to get hit since they heard about it (in Texas). Finger Lakes are in the shadow of the strip of land between Lakes Erie and Ontario so we're forecasted for nothing. But it looks like the Southtowns are going to get it.

Would Beane be that much of a loss?

I think this is the crux. He's good at making the team play well, but does not seem effective in the highest of pressure situations. He wins games because the team plays well enough to get ahead. Even behind earlier in the game, he's OK because it's not 100% make or break yet. But get to the end of a close game and he just can't manage things. Fine for a regular season coach, but you're always going to be disappointed in the playoffs.

Spicy. There are going to be a ton of people spilling their complimentary hotel breakfast coffee after reading that one. (I don't think it's wrong, either)

Very succinct explanation of the McD effect.

I never thought of writing or composing as type-2 fun, but it makes a ton of sense. I've surprised myself by taking a liking to type-2 fun in the form of riding bicycles up hills. I'm terrible at it, but it's such a joy when I'm at the top. Maybe it's not such a surprise; software troubleshooting is similarly miserable until it's fixed, then it's a huge high.

I'm not sure I agree, but I also wouldn't be surprised if you're right. If the Sabres get to point that everyone is healthy and they have to send someone down, I could see it being Benson rather than having to put someone through waivers but that's about it. See Grigorenko, Mikhail. He played 25 for the Sabres in 2012 was sent back to the Q because he wasn't cutting it.

Responsible adults and news outlets make sure they got it reasonably right before putting everyone on blast. You shouldn't believe preliminary reports and shouldn't repeat them, since they're BS.

Won't someone think of the poor Fox News reporter that spent all day polishing up the article blaming President Biden for this terrorist attack, only for it not to be used?

Do off-season trades commonly happen in the CHL? I could see a situation where a team only has 1-2 legit players in their last year for whatever reason and trades them away to get better picks at the end of the season.

Nope, no idea about Paula's until I started hearing about it after I left (mostly here; I don't talk to many people from Buffalo other than family and they don't seem to care). I lived near EA until 1999. During college we went a few times for kicks. I remember the suicides being fun but not stupendously hot, which is fine by me. I did go back once since then, but I can't remember the details other than it was probably 15-20 years ago. Interestingly enough, I grew up ~3 miles from The Bar Bill, but it was always "that weird dive bar near the circle". It wasn't until a friend moved back to Buffalo in the early 2000s that I heard it was anything other than a dive. We always ordered pizza and wings from Sorrentino's across from the EA plaza, and then when that closed, Pasquale's on Main.

Issue:

While I mostly agree with you, a 19-year-old 5'9" player may well be better off gaining strength off-ice while playing against teenagers than getting rocked for 72 games in the A against 25-year-olds with no way to the NHL other than being hard-nosed players. In the end, Savoie isn't going to be ruined playing in the CHL this year, and it helps the Sabres by delaying the start of his pro contract timeline.

I hear you, lol. Right now I'm trying to decide if I should pull the trigger on a sale full suspension MTB, or decide that I'm too old for that and just keep riding my rigid Surly around on the easy stuff. Riding the Surly on the rocks and roots in my late-40s got me into this mess, lol.

I messed up my knee over a series of bike rides in early September, and it's not 100% yet. By far the longest I've had a nagging thing like this.

I went to Chef's *once* when my dept head at the big G took us out a "safety lunch" ("listen up, everyone be safe"). I don't remember it being good or bad, but it was 25+ years ago. It was free however. Every few months; it's a 3-hour drive now and both my and MsPie's parents are there. I thought I was going to get through the thread and be the first to mention how irrelevant the Goos are to me. I thought the story is it was Buffalo expats, and originally it was Buffalo Wild Wings and Weck. ... Well, I was half-right: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffalo_Wild_Wings

GoogleFu: https://www.si.com/nhl/2023/11/15/nhl-sabres-bruins-canadian-national-anthem-lyrics-video