nfreeman

JJ -- if the thread has gone off the rails, and I don't think it has, you are one of the top 2 culprits, with at least 10 posts in the last 1.5 pages bemoaning the slights you've suffered and demanding an apology that you know isn't forthcoming. Let it go.

Nothing wrong with speculation, and of course it's not impossible. My point is simply that it's way off base to refer to those bits of speculation as "general knowledge" and "facts."

What? Here's what you said: Calling that "general knowledge" is nonsense. It's also nowhere near "the fact that Murray wasn't fired for another other reason," which is a major backpedal. For that matter, saying that Murray was "fired for another reason" is nowhere near "a fact." It's simply more unfounded message board speculation. To be clear, you and everyone else is free to engage in this kind of speculation. But upgrading rumors to "general knowledge" and "facts" is BS, and needs to be recognized as such.

No. Not general knowledge. Not anything other than completely unsubstantiated message board rumor.

I would hire Lavy in a heartbeat.

At 5'8", hoping for Ruotso to step in at 2C is a mighty...tall order.

Me?

Why no Nylander?

You created the latest in a string of your TP-axe-grinding threads, which I've reacted to by describing it as such and pointing out conflicts in your statements in this thread, as well as Orwellian misinformation such as claims that a 75-25 deficit in the poll constitutes a win for your position and that you have no axe to grind. You are of course welcome to your opinions, which appear to be shared by 28% of respondents here. But I think I am free to disagree. What does this mean?

So -- which is it? Did TG keep the team in Buffalo by turning down Balsillie and prohibiting TP from moving them? Or is moving the team impossible because the NHL wouldn't allow it? Again -- which is it? Are you claiming that you've never had a mistrusting axe to grind vs TP, or was he in it for the fracking all along?

I didn’t infer it from the OP in this thread. I was referring to the plain English — no inferring required— in multiple posts over the years.

Really? You're claiming not to have expressed the "I don't trust these rich DBs -- I know he's trying to rip us off somehow" theme? In front of all of the poor souls who have read your posts over the years?

Kinda seems like they will wait until after the playoffs at this point, eh? I wonder whether and how much they actually wanted McL and/or AV. Even if they didn't make any actual offers, it could've been because the coaches indicated that they weren't interested -- so not making an offer would've let the Sabres save face. All I know is that right now they are nowhere.

I think the jury is still well out. The on-ice results have been terrible, but as I've said previously, I think evaluating ownership on those terms requires a much longer time horizon than 8 seasons, especially when the idiotic tank is dropped smack in the middle of that period. And the "I don't trust these rich DBs -- I know he's trying to rip us off somehow" theme that the OP has repeatedly expressed hasn't been borne out in the slightest.

Something in here is remarkable, all right — it’s the Orwellian spin of insisting that a 75-25 rejection of a tiresome crusade somehow constitutes a victory for the crusader.

This is fair, but IMHO it doesn't excuse the issues that bothered me. I think one of the strengths of the show historically has been the realism and the nuances that manifest in the conversation scenes -- i.e. it's been great for the stuff that isn't just dragons and battles -- and I felt that some of those scenes didn't live up to that standard. E.g. Sansa and Tyrion were married, went through a lot together and had generally positive feelings for each other. It struck me as a standard TV show cliche that, in their first meeting since Joffrey's wedding, they would have a one-minute conversation that ended with Sansa telling him that she used to think he was smart, but now she thinks he's dumb, and then walking out of the room. I expected quite a bit more from that scene, as I did from Arya-Hound, who also went through a lot together. And I think the will-he-or-won't-he plotline with Bronn will turn out to be kinda lame too. So yes, you're right that they need to move everything along, and there simply isn't time for lengthier expositions in these scenes -- but no one put a gun to their heads and told them they needed to wrap it up in 6 freaking episodes. They created a situation in which they have to rush through everything, and I think the qualities that made the show great have taken a hit (and I thought this last year too).

I enjoyed last night's episode but didn't love it. There were some great moments -- e.g. when Sansa and Tyrion were discussing Joffrey's wedding and Sansa said "it had its moments" -- that was outstanding -- but I thought a few of the reunion scenes were a bit rushed and cliched, like Sansa-Tyrion and Arya-Hound-Gendry. Glad it's back though.

It’s pretty clear Tiger was a huge jerk in his youth, but hopefully he’s improved his character. It’s quite possible as it’s been a long time since he was brought low.

Or maybe it’s simply unable to overcome insurmountable obstacles in the form of more attractive alternatives.

What if UPL is the next Barrasso and takes the NHL by storm next year with Calder AND Vezina wins?

You're aware that Carolina lost last night and, more importantly, before this year, missed the playoffs for 9 years in a row and 11 out of 12? Throwing money at the team doesn't guarantee success -- as we've learned the hard way -- but spending well under the cap and not spending on things like facilities, coaches, scouting, etc. makes it much harder.

So you think TG wasn’t interested in selling, despite literally years of reported rumors that he was, and TP just parachuted in from nowhere, swept him off his feet, and TG just took his offer without shopping around? Carolina has $16MM in unspent cap space this year and what was reported as one of the best lease deals in the NHL. Is that what you want for the Sabres? For the city to pony up, say, $10MM per year in economic value and the team to save another $16MM in player payroll, plus who knows how much more in spending on facilities, coaches, etc? Or should we just pretend that those factors don’t exist? ”These rich jerks, they’re everywhere, they just want to rip us off, one of them will magically appear and give us more than the current rich jerk is giving us.”

So you think TP forced the tank on DR? And this is because he said the owner gets to decide the scope of the rebuild? Doesn't the owner get to decide everything, by either approving it or declining approval? And don't all major decisions generally get run by the owner? Did TP force the tank on TM also? Do you not think most owners speak with their GMs regularly? So someone who owns something worth, say, $200MM to $500MM doesn't speak regularly with the guy who runs it for him? A "donut shop under a practice rink?" Do you not think TP has invested substantial amounts into downtown Buffalo? As for whether someone else would buy the team, keep it here, etc. -- there's no need to speculate. The team has been sold twice in the past 15 years. The first time around, no one wanted to buy it until it was deeply discounted -- and that buyer refused to spend money on it and thus dismantled possibly the best team they've ever had. The second time, there was one bidder, and it was the one we ended up with.

We have no idea whether or not TP can move the team. None of us has ever seen the contract. We also have no idea whether TG "insisted" on a no-movement clause (assuming it exists, and doesn't expire or have other loopholes) or whether TP agreed to it when it was brought up because he wants to keep the team there anyway. Regarding the tank -- do you think it was TP's idea, or was he following his GM's recommendation? I suspect it's the latter, which, if correct, would argue against the "meddling" theory. Of course he was happy they scored. It was a thrilling moment. He'd have had to have been dead not to react. That doesn't mean he didn't care much more about the Benjamins than about the wins. Every single action he took as owner was consistent with his public statements that it was critical that the team not lose money on a current basis -- i.e. he was openly, and repeatedly, not interested in funding operating losses. So your willingness to fire him isn't based on results? It's based on your perceptions of "meddling" -- including the unforgivable sin of speaking regularly with his GM (like at least 90% of other NHL owners)? Do you not believe that hiring Howie and firing Howie were JB's decisions? Well, we don't know what was in his heart, but we do know that he didn't step in and buy the team until the price dropped to a ridiculously low number, which included the city forgiving something like $25MM in loans. We also know that he sold the team a few years later for 3x what he paid for it.