That Aud Smell

Hilariously so! A bit of Leslie Nielsen creeping in.

Are each of y'all too young to remember "tenor Joe Byron?" Nothing fancy. But put some respect on that man's name! ... Also. Wth?! These are NOT the words I recall from the Canadian national anthem.

I know there are some brilliant, thoughtful posters over there. Or that there used to be. But, as you note, there is just so much noise as well. I think that's largely a function of the sheer number of posters at TBD. There's so many more of them than there are here. And, of course, the Bills fan base dwarfs the Sabres fan base. Football is king. I logged off from TBD long ago -- maybe 15+ years ago? I haven't been back.

There is an existential risk afoot. Many (most?) diehard Sabres fans are ... well, dying off. Or fairly soon will be. Who's (whomst is) replacing them (us)? My non-scientific survey of the youts is that this era in the desert has led to overwhelming indifference amongst the next generation of potential supporters.

Where is the Aretha Franklin lookalike/soundalike?! As @Stoner's self-appointed counsel, he renews his demand therefor since it was initially made in The Days of Doug Allen.

This is a really good question. (I posed it to myself when I typed out the stuff upthread.) I reckon it's art, not science. And it should be a function of personal preference, tolerances. The current Sabres team? Not a gift. Sh1t. I'm not even watching the games at this point. Although I am going (early!) on Friday to honour Rob Ray. I think there's some level of excellence -- or some other intangible quality or accomplishment that makes a team compelling -- that's needed to get me in the headspace I've described. Remember this? (I don't, not firsthand anyway.) let the church say "Amen!"

I think about this all the time. The night the drought ended, we were with a big group of friends in a hotel common area (NYE) going NUTS. It's a "core memory" (yuck, Gen Z cliche') for so many of the kids there with us. A couple months prior to that, the same group of friends (couples, parents mostly in their early/mid 40s) had been at a funeral for our former ringleader. The Bills journey since then? Incredible. I've been at the stadium with a family member for nearly all of Josh's heroics and the team's successes. And I was with my Dad at my parents' home for 13 Seconds. May he rest in peace. I'm just so grateful for all of it.

I looked around for a heart emoji to use as a reaction, but didn't find one. So, here ya go: 💙💛 (ferda Sabres. This being a Sabres board.)

I’m glad you got to where you are. My path definitely involved times of reflection -- as in, “wtf am I doing, getting this upset?” The Fitzpatrick-Bills road loss to the Bengals, of all games, was a watershed moment for me. We had house full of kids and there I was going Bruce Banner —> Hulk. No bueno. But the real turning points for me have been twofold: (1) a mental health journey that’s involved a commitment to “mindfulness” (a worn-out word, but a real thing) which means I’m learning about how thoughts and feelings work in the human mind and learning how to choose or prefer helpful ones *and* (2) the active, intentional cultivation of gratitude for life’s gifts, rather than a desire for more (more!). I cried as that game slipped away on Sunday. And then I kept crying for a while. For many reasons. Many of which had little to do with football, per se. My oldest texted me words of consolation the next day. A little worried about me, I think. I replied: “It’s okay, kid. This is all gift. And for gifts we are grateful.”

re the * from above. I've supported Liverpool F.C. since 2006. They won the Premier League in (2019-)2020 (all COVID era titles are weird) and they may win it again this year (which would be dope). And they won a Champions League title in 2019. But those don't really count, for me. I enjoy supporting the club, but, in my heart, I know it's just not the same feeling as supporting hometown teams that I've supported my whole life. In point of fact, I'll say that even supporting my college's teams (undergraduate only, for those who claim to be diehard supporters of where they went to graduate/professional school (c'mon, man)) is a tier below supporting the Sabres and Bills. It's still meaningful to see my college teams win (and hockey's won several national championships since I graduated (and was in the Frozen Four while I was there)). Supporting my college teams is more meaningful than my support of Liverpool, but it's not the same as supporting the Sabres or Bills. Lol - shoutout the filter catching and censoring the word "b0llocks."

Never have I ever.* And as I've been saying for a while now -- IRL, maybe not here -- I don't much care anymore. I'll exult if (when?) it happens. But I'm no longer buying into the received wisdom, the immutable truth pushed by Big Sports (and endorsed or parroted by millions of fans, supporters). That is: Sports fandom is misery, torture if your favourite team can't "win it all." Says who? Seriously - says who? *****, I say. And I mean it. I'm living my life liberated from that supposed "truth." It feels good. *I'll post separately on the scope of this below.

we must study her brain. lol. i also enjoy meeting people like that. i'm just like "what? ... how? ..."