Ghost of Dwight Drane

I've got only one stat that has me encouraged for the future of the team, especially given the injury situation. The Bills have either been tied, or in the lead in the 4th quarter of every single game this year. That's almost amazing given the fact I expected them to take a while to find their sea legs under a new hierarchy. It was nice to see some smarter decision making by the coaches today. I still get PO'd by all the defensive substituting. There are 5 to 10 plays a game where guys are running onto the field, out of position, talking, or like today again...just have 10 men on the field as the ball is snapped. Sometimes it's better just to line up your 11 prepared guys, and have them go at it.

Minnesota -130 Buffalo +110 I'm in for 390 on Minny

Actually....he COULD be at $20,400 if he bet it all each game. 6-6 is impressive in any realm however......

Kevin Devine could be heard at the draft as Calgary walked to the podium..."Oh, for the love of sweet baby Jesus...look at the length on that nameplate....it's got to be Ristolainen.....son of a b'.....whew!.....I can't believe our guy is still there Terry!"

Yeah...you will have $900 or be ELIMINATED!!! That's my Trump line....it gives me a false sense of purpose....

Chicago -240 Buffalo +200 #blueprint

From Day 1 I was scared that Pegula would trust status quo too much, we'd end up where we are, and fans would end up turning on Pegula himself. If the team isn't winning and he's not having fun, AND the fans turn on him for real....this can be a disaster. I'm hoping Pegula can reflect a bit and see that Darcy just can't cut it, for as much as he likes him as a person. Lafontaine would be a face and name that fans trust, and he may actually have enough ability to be a true asset in the personnel department. I still want a "General" type here, planning behind the scenes. Sadly, the further down the hole we go, and the more that Pegula becomes a quantified owner, and not just speculation about him, it can be harder to get people of value in here. We are getting close to a situation of no-return. I'm not sure how likely that is to happen, but the dynamics are in place. Firing Regier would gain forgiveness from just about everyone, including myself. Just as long as he doesn't go batsh!t crazy and bring in someone with zero clue again.

Sort of like the Bills brought in Marv Levy after Donahoe. You are close to a full fledged fan revolt. The secondary ticket market is telling the story. People can't give seats away 2 weeks into the season. I don't know if Lafontaine would be interested in a role like that as he would have the least amount of power of the 3. I'm just saying...what we know of Pegula, he likes "HIS" people. And when it comes to hockey, the best we can hope for it seems is HS people being ex-Sabres. This seems like a viable idea given reality.

What do you consider a prospect? What's more valuable...a 19 year old who has shown zero at the NHL level, or 23-26 year olds who have won a Norris, a Stanley Cup, and have forced a 7 goal, 20 point big center who is 20 years old to the AHL? Because that pretty much describes Ottawa, who has tons of cap room besides. The Sabres have out of the money options on talent. Nothing capable now, but MAYBE in 2-5 years. Meanwhile, plenty of teams are loaded with 20-26 year olds who seem to progress and make their team competitive, and should be that way for the next 3-10 years. We are so far behind the curve it isn't funny. If you stick with the current strategy, you need 3 years just to HOPE you can compete for a playoff spot and maybe win a round. The names Bucky has touted the past few years makes sense in a sort of 3 headed monster. Dudley/Botterill/Lafontaine. Dudley likes to stay behind the scenes, but is a good talent evaluator and architect. Let him strategize, Botterill does a lot of the leg work and maybe oversees the scouting department and such. And Lafontaine is the public face that is 100% respected and trusted by players and fans alike. He could be the liaison between the hockey and business department, between Rochester and Buffalo, and between the team and the public for important hockey matters. I'm not sure if it would be a case of too many cooks, but they all could be highly efficient at a key role. If Patty tells me we need to be patient, I'll handle it. If Darcy tells me that, I want a stray meteor to strike the podium. There are plenty of options out there, but if Pegula is intent on coddling ex-Sabres, this is at least a B+ solution given an open market.

I'll let you have it, only because you could have completed a heart/lung transplant in the time it took that kid to sing the anthems.... Fun Fact: If you parlayed the original $1000 against the Sabres the first 5 games, you'd now have $14,400.

Or maybe Chara should cleanly check this guy into the boards in an 8-2 game every chance he has with all the force he has..... This little pipsqueak needs to learn "There but for the grace of God go I"....

I am very interested to see how both NY and Vancouver do. They benched the kid the last 8 minutes....that makes more sense now. Seriously....we are in a punka$$ world when that is glorified. I can't believe Marty didn't spear him in the nads.

And in all honesty, I'm shocked there was no retribution. That's pretty much the point...for you to get open to pull that sort of bologna, the other team has called it a day. Next time I bet they don't call it a day. The Hockey Gods have taken notice. I'm predicting within the next few weeks, Hertl goes down with an injury....not caused by anything nefarious. Just a good ol', hockey gods putting the little DB back in his place injury. 4-6 week minimum. And how does Pegula not make Darcy draft a guy named Hertl? If there is a player named Joe Cheektowaga, you bet he's Sabres property. Ahh..now I see why nothing happened. They benched Hertl for the rest of the game!!! That lil' sh!t will get his......

You're good....just need to bet 1 a month to win.

You know what's artistic as well? The perfect hit. After Hertl's little display in an 8-2 game....I make it a point to keep hitting in a lopsided game with the lead. Maybe when the little boy has the puck and is just waiting to get on the bus...he go bye-bye.

Nice job you yahoos.... I'm busy lamenting over everyone, only to realize I just overcooked the ravioli. I run into the kitchen and like a fool, dump the pot with one hand while holding the colander in the other. Steam shoots all over my left hand. I am full expecting a blister on the knuckles of my index and middle finger. I think it's the #ChzStigmata

It's getting heavy in here.... Prayers for everyone. I've got two of the greatest people I know, downtrending with health, big time. That's why there's booze. At least, 1 of the top 10 reasons.....

I'm willing to do occupational therapy, pro bono.

There's marketing gold somewhere. How about Pearl St. Name a burger, "The Ted Black Turdburger"? Just think of 4 of the craziest toppings to put on the same burger. Something like Muenster cheese, gravy, bacon, and guacamole.

You got it. Say you were at a betting window at a sports book. You'd say "Win one hundred on Columbus" and you'd hand them $115. You win, you cash a ticket for $215. If you like Buffalo you say "One hundred on Buffalo". You hand them $100 and if you win you cash the ticket for $205. The vig is lower than normal today. I took the Hilton line last night. They are old school and give a better price. It's bet everywhere -125/+105 on Columbus right now.

I'm late to the party...just saw the goal now. The first thing I did was head to the boxscore to see how many fights there were the rest of the game. Unbelievable. Up 8-2, you have 3 goals, you're 19, and you pull that? I'm sure Torts was smiling.....

Columbus -115 Buffalo +105

Standings after Game #4: Rayzer32 $1500 TrueBluePhD $1500 Cereal $1400 wjag $1400 nobody $1300 ClaudeVeret $1300 wyldnwoody44 $1300 Eleven $1300 ChileanSeaBass $1160 RCentered $1100 Hank $1000 LGR4GM $1000 mustacheofgod $900 ThirtyEight $800 tomwebster $800 TM8-PL16 $800 TaroT $780 qwksndmonster $760 cwchze $700 Weave $700 MattiePie $660 deluca67 $640 BuffFansR_Crazy $640 Rico7 $600 SwampD $560 Assquatch $400 Eliminated: GlassPommerFan, skaught, sabresnipe Yelp if I goofed anywhere.

Haha! True. I hate to bet against teams I root for. I have bet against the Bills once in my life, and big. I went to the game and felt guilty about it. Luckily the Jets were covering by 20 at halftime and I didn't have to sulk about not cheering because there was nothing to cheer for. The Sabres on the other hand, over the last 4 years I've probably bet on them 5 times and against 30. Carp's charts were really an aid and a new way to look at wagering for me. I'm probably around 70% on Sabres games, and 60% on others. You just need patience. I don't have that with football because I enjoy any NFL game too much. My general malaise at best towards the Sabres has made it easier to look at it as an investment and not with emotion. That being said, watch me clunk out of my own contest.....

Real money coming in on Tampa, but as of last night, that was the line. With Enroth in, it's probably a coinflip.