That Aud Smell

Don't you start with me! 😂 And yes -- you're probably right. (I had "of" in mind.)

I love the ambiguity here. It's the absence of a preposition between "season coping" that does it. I initially read this as saying, essentially, that people are failing in their efforts not to cope through alcohol and drug abuse. Come to think of it: I may need to up the dosage.

Good take. Thanks.

Counterpoint! https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelshellenberger/2019/11/04/why-everything-they-say-about-california-fires--including-that-climate-matters-most--is-wrong/ TL;DR: The author explains that mainstream media lazily attribute the rise of all wildfires to climate change (a warming planet). This piece explains that wildfires -- and why, where, how they occur -- are far more complex and nuanced than that. It's an interesting read.

For sure. Which is why I'm just hoping that he'll just get lucky at some point. Because he's not hire-skillzing his way into good leadership. As I've said: Lindy for POHO. I do agree: Let's figure out a way to salvage and support 26 and 72. Those guys are top tier NHLers.

The Broncos should be a stiff test. In the wildcard weekends from 2024 and 2023, I felt quite certain going in that the Bills should dispatch with their opponents (Steelers, Dolphins). This one feels a bit different. Go Bills!

Ah! I get it now. I got it. Interesting. I have concluded that -- while the Scenarios aren't binary or exclusive -- the Sabres are mostly Scenario 2. With regard to Scenario 1, I think we more need Terry to be fortunate, not skilled, in hiring.

I wasn't trying to be a d1ck with my last 2 replies to you -- although I may have succeeded just the same. I also struggled to follow what you were saying.

There’s one reason. It’s Terry.

God bless Los Angeles and everyone affected by the fires. Regrettably, this week's fires are part of a troubling pattern. Things appear to have changed -- suddenly and significantly -- when it comes to western North American wildfires. Recorded meteorological history provides scant guidance to what's happening now.

Too many chill bros. The kids don't want it.

Just a sorta random association here. I still love this line.

When's the last time this team won 4 in a row? Not this season. Did they do it last season? I presume they did so in 2022-2023.

In the hunt for a (new) POHO? Yah, mah boy.

Bro. The Sabres under Pegula is the context.

Yeah. I do hold out hope that there’d be something … new. What’s the definition of insanity?

He won’t? He has? Terry is the Sabres’ POHO. I’d like to hear from him.

It appears that Terry’s involvement with the Sabres is far (far) more significant than it is with the Bills. And yes: The Bills are great, so fans don’t need to hear from the owner. The Sabres suck. And have sucked for a long time. Terry’s running the show with the Sabres. I very much want to know what he thinks and what his plans are.

Except that, while we don’t see him, we don’t hear from him, he does a great deal “BTS” with regard to the team’s hockey operations. That results in an utter failure of accountability.

from today’s Sabres mailbag (Lance as the writer?): ”Pegula watches video of draft-eligible prospects and poses questions to the scouting staff during meetings. He signs the checks, so a significant free-agent signing like the one involving Taylor Hall in 2020 doesn't happen without Pegula's approval.” Yeesh.

I heard that quote from Kraft late last night, and thought of you @Stoner. Also: Nice pull on the quote from Terry on the day of his opening press conference. (What a weird brag that was, at the time. "I can tell you one thing, I'm a fan. You won't find a bigger fan than me because I just bought a hockey team. That's a pretty big commitment as a fan. There's only 29 other fans in the country that can pull that off." [Jeebus - fu*k off, dude.]) I took up a contrary position to you when you first (?) argued that the Sabres were, effectively, a public asset -- something akin to the BPO, the Buffalo Zoo, etc. A cultural institution of sorts that the supporting public essentially owns. Technically (and only technically) speaking, I had and still have a solid argument to make. Morally, emotionally, ethically, and probably some other important adverbs I can't summon right now, though, you had it right. Dead nuts. Kraft copping to the Patriots as a public asset points to what high-minded pro sports franchise ownership must look and sound like. Any owner who doesn't make the same acknowledgment and behave accordingly is occupying some lesser tier of ownership than Kraft does. Now. Mind you. Kraft is still a doooosh bag billionaire. On so many levels: Eff that guy and his bloated family. But! As billionaire pro sports franchise owners go? He's the gold standard.

Eesh. It's hard to be sure. It certainly feels like it. But the omnipresence of teh interwebs and mobile phone messaging (lo, my several Sabre group chats) make it an apples:oranges comparison to compare now to low times of the past. There's so much more opportunity to socialize the misery. Plus, we have the matter of recency bias with which to contend. OTOH, the current drought is historic and the team's futility is without precedent for the franchise. Plus, the future is so bleak and gloomy, given how Terry is choosing to (mis)manage the franchise. So, yeah -- this is the lowest point in franchise history. And they ain't done yet.