That Aud Smell

It makes perfect sense to me that Terry and Lindy have a close friendship, of sorts. I keep saying it: Lindy is our best hope for saving this joke of a franchise. He has the stones, the bona fides, and the relationship needed to stand up to Terry and right this ship. (Actually, righting the ship is probably not severe enough -- to bring the ship up from the floor of Lake Erie, restore it, and get it sailing again.)

Maybe we are talking past each other. Or maybe something else is going on. It's hard for me to tell. My initial post above - "what a weird take" - was directed to what I read as your implicit (and snarky) endorsement of what some non-Sabre fan and hobbyist (professional?) hockey talker said about Adams and the Sabres. I don't much care what the self-proclaimed Hockey Guy has to say about my team. Our team. Especially if it's in the nature of some Iraqi general's implausible denial of serious problems in Sabre land. I know what's going on. Far better than the Hockey Guy does, I'll venture. I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore. I can't fathom any Sabres fan feeling differently.

Nah, I meant your take. I don't watch that guy. I tried once when a video of his was posted here. Not my cuppa.

I do generally enjoy these "So and so is only the second quarterback since the merger to ... " blurbs that seem to come out every week. At times, though, it does seem like they're getting way into the weeds with them. "CJ Stroud is only the fourth quarterback in league history to pass for at least 225 yards, have a 65% completion percentage on fewer than 25 attempts, pass for 2 TDs in excess of 20 air yards each, and be credited with 5 run carries."

This is such a weird take - especially given where the franchise is, where it’s been for the past ~14 years, and where it appears headed.

Dude - I think the verdict has perhaps been slow to come but is by now decisive. I'm not even sure "meddling" captures the nature of how he affects hockey ops.

I've read this post three times. I'm just not sure what you're getting at. Grab a torch or pitchfork, man.

Okay. Opie then.

I'd call it a bit of hyperbole. A nice rhetorical device. What's the old saw about monkeys, infinite time, typewriters, and Hamlet? I credit not at all what Adams has done during "his" tenure. Not a whit. Blind squirrels and chestnuts? Maybe. But everything he's done, taken as a whole, has convinced me that he doesn't understand asset management, roster management, nor team building. Not at an NHL GM level anyway.

The conversation here leads me back to what I - and others - see as the franchise's best hope. If Lindy can ascend to POHO and alpha Terry the way that McDermott and Beane were apparently able to, then perhaps Lindy can get qualified people in the crucial positions and the process of rebuilding can actually begin in earnest. Because for the last 13+ years? The Sabres have been Terry's favourite toy. And he's repeatedly made a total hash of things. Keeping with the seasonal theme: Terry through his clumsiness has been creating his own Island of Misfit Toys. The first one that popped into my head looks like Ville Leino. (The Bills, meanwhile, are maybe more like his favourite movie. He mostly just watches them.)

Were you (ever) any of those things? [Awakens alarmed. Blinks strenuously. Clears throat]: "Where is that bailiff? ... @Stoner?!" I've seen this here before. It is a madness. "We gave that chimp a Chevy pickup five years ago. And yeah, he's been careening all over the eight counties of WNY ever since. But his driving qualifications must have improved over that period of time."

Prior to now, I was hard-pressed to imagine a more disqualifying resume for an NHL GM than the one that Adams had when he was hired into the role for the Sabres. But the scenario you lay out above creates an even more disqualifying CV: A guy who was totally unqualified to serve as GM, but was given the job title just the same, and thereafter acceded to serving as the buffoon owner's toady for five years. I mean holy sh1t. Talk about awful.

I honestly don't recall. I seem to recall a message in ~January 2022 about how the team didn't need to add pieces in order to make a run. And then they did not, in fact, add anyone (of note). And they missed the playoffs by a point. If memory serves.

Total delirium. So much fun. Go Bills.

I enjoyed my visit there. Same. C'mon. Spell it out for us. I struggle to maintain an accurate concept of the Sabrespace Aud Club cast of characters. I presume this is a joke. But it's also spot on.

They are unwatchable.

Great post, Cally. I've posted this before: I know the Bills are king. I mean, they're king, queen -- the whole damn royal court. And the Bills are really good right now. But there is nothing like spring in Buffalo when the Sabres are gearing up for and then on a playoff run. The weather's getting nicer. The days are getting longer. Maybe there's a party in the plaza. I get goose bumps just typing it.

I got mine from a Google image search of "Palm Tree" "Bison" I read those comments. They were bracing, for sure. Amidst this team's woes, Lindy's frank and unapologetic analysis is ... well, it's something anyway.

I've never seen a more lifeless team score 5 goals than I did on Monday. Being in arena, there was something uniquely dispiriting about them. Come ON, fellas. I'm also proud to have joined the message board's communal dissent and protest by choosing a new avatar. (I think I've only had like 2 profile pics for the entire time I've been on the board.)

or, as here, a speculative oilman who got filthy rich largely by virtue of good luck presumes he can do the same with a pro hockey team. (also, he *thinks* his business acumen and savvy are why he became a billionaire — he lacks self awareness and, as far as I can tell, any appreciable business skills.)

(It is definitely NOT the case here.)

Hmm. I did some Googling. I found a lot of articles attributing the remark to Adams - but nothing from the horse's mouth (whether a quote or a clip).

I know what I saw. The guy can play at a very high level in the world's best league. That said, I am totally baffled at what's going on with him this season.

I was in the arena last night. Monday night crowds are lighter and quieter than most. That said, I swear to God that I thought I heard more of a collective groan and scattered laughter reaction when Detroit tied it up in the third.