Should we root for the Sabres to lose out?

[SDS]

 

6 minutes ago, Gatorman0519 said:

The ROR deal torpedoed the season.  It’s unarguable now.  

It’s your fault for thinking that deal was made with this season in mind.

[MattPie]

Can you add Don't care, Don't care, and whatever options to the three questions?

[nucci]

How do you root for your team to lose? Aren't we tired of losing?

Edited March 13, 2019 by nucci

[Tondas]

1 hour ago, Doohickie said:

So be honest:  Who's still watching the games?

I watch every one.  Love hockey.  Love the Sabres.  In fact, that may be on my tombstone. 

I do make fun of the team on occasion.  But it's like a family member.  I can make fun of them, but I kick a stranger a$$ if they do

[Stoner]

I think everyone knows that sports juju isn't real. The question is still useful and interesting. Fine-tuning it a bit: if Botterill wants a mini-tank, what could he do? And if he's consistent, shouldn't he do it? His view of the hot start and decision to stand pat constituted a form of tanking. He decided to not ice a team with a better chance of winning in exchange for some future benefit (picks and prospects; adherence to his plan of going for it in Biden's second term).

[msw2112]

2 hours ago, Drunkard said:

I'm all in for a mini-tank and I supported the original tank.

I should probably clarify that I don't actively root for the Sabres to play poorly when I watch them, but given how poorly they've played since 2019 started, I have been watching games less and less frequently even though I already paid for NHL.tv for the season. When they play poorly and I'm watching I find it funny more often than not, but their crappy play does make me less inclined to watch. Lately I find myself just checking the notifications on the NHL app during games while I watch something else. When the Sabres score and/or win I watch the highlights and I'm happy for whoever scores, but when they lose I don't let it bother me and I check the standings to see where they are at with regards to the draft.

 

This pretty much describes my situation an thought process too, although I didn't shell out for NHL.tv (and I'm glad).  If the team was in contention for the playoffs, I would have purchased the Center Ice package for the final stretch of the season.  Instead, I will watch any games televised in my area if it is convenient for my schedule (on NBCSN or NHL Network), but I am done planning my evening around watching this team.  

[SDS]

14 minutes ago, msw2112 said:

This pretty much describes my situation an thought process too, although I didn't shell out for NHL.tv (and I'm glad).  If the team was in contention for the playoffs, I would have purchased the Center Ice package for the final stretch of the season.  Instead, I will watch any games televised in my area if it is convenient for my schedule (on NBCSN or NHL Network), but I am done planning my evening around watching this team.  

 If winning is your only concern then you made the right choice and saved some money. However, if the final score is not the only thing you care about then you missed a lot of entertaining hockey games this year. 

[Sabres Fan in NS]

@nfreeman, pull yourself together, man.  *NS slaps your face*

How could you start a thread like this?  They finally got to you, eh?

For the record, I hope the Sabres run the table.

+++++

I suppose I should read more than just the thread title in the hopes if some context here ...

 

Edited March 13, 2019 by New Scotland (NS)
No, no and no ... a thousand times NO!!

[Weave]

That was easy.

[MakeSabresGrr8Again]

2 hours ago, Zamboni said:

They flat out sucked and lost. Phil freakin Housley.

They didn’t acquire Pominville, Scandella, Kane, O’Reilly, and Lehner with the mindset of tanking. 

Signing AHLers to fill the majority of your NHL team is true tanking.

This is what concerns me the most.

We tanked for Eichel and added Kane, ROR, Lehner while already having Sam, Risto, McCabe, Zemgus, and Larsson. We then still sucked and eventually traded Kane and tanked for Dahlin. Traded ROR and Traded for Skinner and Sheary. All of this happening two different regimes of GM's and Coaches and still managed to suck.

yet, here we are again discussing "tanking" a season or not to get a better pick in the draft. We still have Sam, Risto, McCabe, Jack, Girgs, Larry,and even E-Rod and Ullmark. Sure, we added Skinner, Sheary, etc but lost Kane and ROR and here we are.

Why should we expect any different outcome? We haven't really caught up talent wise as of yet to where we were with Kane/ ROR/& co.

What's the saying?....repeating something over and over and over and expecting a different result?

[...]

Honestly, the problem is the utter lack of communication from the Sabres.  And when the Sabres do say something it's like "poor performance?  What poor performance?"

They would go a long way to hire some competent PR and marketing people and talk to a fan-base that knows what it's looking at instead of pretending what's happening is something else.

If there's a plan, then tell us the plan with detail instead of walking around any particular details.  If they're happy with the numbers, then tell us why with charts and some of their own metrics. 

The Sabres need to do something because everyone is pissed off again and their current manner of handling the public is horribly offensive.

[calti]

losing breeds losing. same solid teams are winners every year. like the sabres were before they were sold.

[dudacek]

1 hour ago, PASabreFan said:

I think everyone knows that sports juju isn't real. The question is still useful and interesting. Fine-tuning it a bit: if Botterill wants a mini-tank, what could he do? And if he's consistent, shouldn't he do it? His view of the hot start and decision to stand pat constituted a form of tanking. He decided to not ice a team with a better chance of winning in exchange for some future benefit (picks and prospects; adherence to his plan of going for it in Biden's second term).

 

What Botterill has been consistent about was an emphasis on development and on not sacrificing long term gains for short term benefits. It’s demonstrably false that he has been more about picks and prospects more than current talent.

Sheary and Hunwick for a 4th.

Skinner for Pu, a 2nd and two later picks.

Montour for Guhle and a 1st.

He’s made four major trades and three of them he traded futures for guys that can help now.

He's tried to make the team better now. The issue is that if you look only at what we’ve done in the second half of the year, he’s failed.

[SwampD]

58 minutes ago, SDS said:

 If winning is your only concern then you made the right choice and saved some money. However, if the final score is not the only thing you care about then you missed a lot of entertaining hockey games this year. 

God, I dream of a place,... a magical fairyland, where someone actually does care about the final score.

I bet that place does exist,... in the FUTURE!

Edited March 13, 2019 by SwampD

[dudacek]

24 minutes ago, ... said:

Honestly, the problem is the utter lack of communication from the Sabres.  And when the Sabres do say something it's like "poor performance?  What poor performance?"

They would go a long way to hire some competent PR and marketing people and talk to a fan-base that knows what it's looking at instead of pretending what's happening is something else.

If there's a plan, then tell us the plan with detail instead of walking around any particular details.  If they're happy with the numbers, then tell us why with charts and some of their own metrics. 

The Sabres need to do something because everyone is pissed off again and their current manner of handling the public is horribly offensive.

Agree with all of this, but being honest isn’t going to help either.

Because if he says Hunwick, Pominville, Berglund, Sobotka, Larsson, Girgensons, Okposo, Hutton, Sheary, Scandella, Wilson etc. were just placeholders all along, we will say “why did you waste our time with placeholders that sucked?”

And if he says the season was all about teaching and developing Eichel, Reinhart, Mittelstadt, Dahlin, McCabe, Ullmark, Nylander, Olofsson, Borgen, Thompson etc, we will say then “where is their ***** improvement?”

I think Botterill probably saw a season of ups and downs where we were better at the end of it than we were at the beginning. The overall results will reflect improvement, but it hasn’t happened in the way he envisioned and I’m not sure yet if he knows why. 

His plan is off the rails.

Edited March 13, 2019 by dudacek

[MakeSabresGrr8Again]

8 minutes ago, SwampD said:

God, I dream of a place,... a magical fairyland, where someone actually does care about the final score.

I bet that place does exist,... in the FUTURE!

Is there a DeLorean dealership in WNY?

[SDS]

15 minutes ago, SwampD said:

God, I dream of a place,... a magical fairyland, where someone actually does care about the final score.

I bet that place does exist,... in the FUTURE!

I will beat this drum until the day I die or until I change my mind… 

My caring about the final score will never actually change the final score.  It is out of my sphere of influence. If I can’t affect the score then  incessantly complaining about it is wasted energy.  It is taking something that should be a positive and turning it into a negative. The world has enough negative.  

That’s why entertainment is my metric. If they are entertaining I will watch. If they are not entertaining, like they haven’t been in past recent years, I don’t watch. 

It’s been 49 years and not a single Stanley Cup. Who is better off – a person who ***** every single season that they didn’t win the Stanley Cup or the person who watches the games and enjoys the entertainment value? 

I will enjoy a winning season and a Stanley Cup as much as the next person. I just don’t let someone else losing a game, while making millions of $$$, negatively affect my day. 

 I’ll end with this golden oldie:

God grant me the serenity 
To accept the things I cannot change; 
Courage to change the things I can; 
And wisdom to know the difference. 

[SwampD]

2 minutes ago, SDS said:

I will beat this drum until the day I die or until I change my mind… 

My caring about the final score will never actually change the final score.  It is out of my sphere of influence. If I can’t affect the score then  incessantly complaining about it is wasted energy.  It is taking something that should be a positive in turning it into a negative. The world has enough negative.  

That’s why entertainment is my metric. If they are entertaining I will watch. If they are not entertaining, like they haven’t been in past recent years, I don’t watch. 

It’s been 49 years and not a single Stanley Cup. Who is better off – a person who ***** every single season that they didn’t win the Stanley Cup or the person who watches the games and enjoys the entertainment value? 

I will enjoy a winning season and a Stanley Cup as much as the next person. I just don’t let someone else losing a game, while making millions of $$$ affect my day. 

 I’ll end with this golden oldie:

God grant me the serenity 
To accept the things I cannot change; 
Courage to change the things I can; 
And wisdom to know the difference. 

Serious question. Why watch at all, then? Cuz I’m kinda calling BS.

Will you not enjoy a Sabres Stanley Cup if it’s a four game sweep where each game is 11-0. That’s not very entertaining hockey

To me, it just sounds like not getting upset at losses is a defense mechanism.

There is no way I’m going to shut the emotion of being pissed that my team sucks. I’ve earned that right.

[Stoner]

37 minutes ago, dudacek said:

 

What Botterill has been consistent about was an emphasis on development and on not sacrificing long term gains for short term benefits. It’s demonstrably false that he has been more about picks and prospects more than current talent.

Sheary and Hunwick for a 4th.

Skinner for Pu, a 2nd and two later picks.

Montour for Guhle and a 1st.

He’s made four major trades and three of them he traded futures for guys that can help now.

He's tried to make the team better now. The issue is that if you look only at what we’ve done in the second half of the year, he’s failed.

Confusing reply. "Now" didn't seem to be in December and January when the season was still salvageable, and that's what I'm talking about. Those are decent trades (jury still out on Skinner; if he doesn't sign it was a wash). Botterill hardly sacrificed long term gains. This debate always seems like a false choice to me — there's some middle ground where both the present and future can be respected.

[Indabuff]

It's gotten to the point (again) where it's not enjoyable to watch the games and what makes matters worse is it sure as hell  seems like it's a lack of effort (again).  That's my biggest gripe.  If the talent isn't there, fine, but if it's a matter of not trying well honestly as far as I'm concerned the team can go ***** itself.   If they're not putting in effort they deserve disrespect from the fans and I have no sympathy for them.  The organization should be embarrassed from going from first to failures.

[bunomatic]

When I hear Coach Housley say he was satisfied with the response from the players in the Dallas game coming off the Colorado game I gagged a little. When I hear Tage parrot basically the same response by saying we got some chances so we're doing all the right things I wanted to start cutting myself. This organization said they wanted to change the culture but they basically rearranged the deck chairs on the Titanic. Pulease get rid of anyone satisfied with following up getting shut out by getting shut out again. Face it we are a league laughing stock. There's no other way to describe what the Pegulas have done to this team. Find some people that know what it takes to win and get them here. Come on already ! 

Now where did I put those damn bandaids ?

[Claude Balls]

I'm rooting for whatever gets Housley out the door the quickest. So losing it is.  My heart hates to see them lose, but it is what it is. The tank was worth it to get Jack, but they are wasting his talent year by year. Last night showed how much worse this team is without him. 

[Kruppstahl]

13 minutes ago, bunomatic said:

When I hear Coach Housley say he was satisfied with the response from the players in the Dallas game coming off the Colorado game I gagged a little. When I hear Tage parrot basically the same response by saying we got some chances so we're doing all the right things I wanted to start cutting myself. This organization said they wanted to change the culture but they basically rearranged the deck chairs on the Titanic. Pulease get rid of anyone satisfied with following up getting shut out by getting shut out again. Face it we are a league laughing stock. There's no other way to describe what the Pegulas have done to this team. Find some people that know what it takes to win and get them here. Come on already ! 

Now where did I put those damn bandaids ?

I noticed that too in Housley's post game comments.  He has done that a lot IMO.  I.E., watch the same game I have watched and concluded something totally different to me, with him taking a positive view of the team and me taking a negative view.

He may be just talking and saying words for the media, but what if he really thinks/means the things he says?

Further proof he is part of the problem and has to go.  I just wonder what Pegula thinks about all this.  We never really hear from him anymore and he is kind of a mystery absentee owner most of the time. Is he patiently waiting for the season to end so he can order Botterill to fire him?  Or is he thinking "disappointing season but overall things are going as planned" or what!? 

 

 

[Claude Balls]

17 minutes ago, bunomatic said:

When I hear Coach Housley say he was satisfied with the response from the players in the Dallas game coming off the Colorado game I gagged a little. When I hear Tage parrot basically the same response by saying we got some chances so we're doing all the right things I wanted to start cutting myself. This organization said they wanted to change the culture but they basically rearranged the deck chairs on the Titanic. Pulease get rid of anyone satisfied with following up getting shut out by getting shut out again. Face it we are a league laughing stock. There's no other way to describe what the Pegulas have done to this team. Find some people that know what it takes to win and get them here. Come on already ! 

Now where did I put those damn bandaids ?

Please dont cut yourself bun. But yeah, I hear ya, the Pegula's are clueless.

[Claude Balls]

3 minutes ago, Kruppstahl said:

I noticed that too in Housley's post game comments.  He has done that a lot IMO.  I.E., watch the same game I have watched and concluded something totally different to me, with him taking a positive view of the team and me taking a negative view.

He may be just talking and saying words for the media, but what if he really thinks/means the things he says?

Further proof he is part of the problem and has to go.  I just wonder what Pegula thinks about all this.  We never really hear from him anymore and he is kind of a mystery absentee owner most of the time. Is he patiently waiting for the season to end so he can order Botterill to fire him?  Or is he thinking "disappointing season but overall things are going as planned" or what!? 

 

 

I've been holding back on saying this, but I've come to the conclusion that Housley is a ***** idiot. Don't like to insult people like that, but his lip service BS post game pressers have become a complete joke. It's the same ***** after every loss. How about some accountability Phil? You suck and your team shows it in unfathomable ways night after night.