How Long Will RJ Keep Going?

[bob_sauve28]

He seems to be getting stronger! I was surprised that he went to Colorado and Montreal. Is there a plan for him to retire or is he just going till he drops? 

[Zamboni]

RJ has complete control over how many games he works and where. He’s on a year to year agreement with the Sabres.

They get together after the schedule is released and figure out what games he wants to work.

As long as his health holds up, I can see him doing 35-45 games next season.

[Drunkard]

Rick Jeanneret is a cyborg that is fueled by beer. He will outlive us all and continue to work until the Sabres finally win a Cup in 2154 when all of us are worm food, our ashes blown away in the wind long ago, or sitting in an urn on somebody's fireplace.

Edited March 26, 2019 by Drunkard

[Zamboni]

11 minutes ago, Drunkard said:

Rick Jeanneret is a cyborg that is fueled by beer. He will outlive us all and continue to work until the Sabres finally win a Cup in 2154 when all of us are worm food, our ashes blown away in the wind long ago, or sitting out in an urn on somebody's fireplace.

 

[Sabres Fan in NS]

Like the rest of us ... until the Sabres win the cup, or when we kick the bucket, whichever comes first.

[Drunkard]

11 minutes ago, Zamboni said:

 

You can't avoid it, even with the matrix lean. Death comes for us all, eventually. Except for RJ, because he's a beer fueled cyborg.

[Skibum]

One has to wonder how much of his twilight years he will devote to a team that can't even get a whiff of the playoffs. 

[Kruppstahl]

3 hours ago, Drunkard said:

Rick Jeanneret is a cyborg that is fueled by beer. He will outlive us all and continue to work until the Sabres finally win a Cup in 2154 when all of us are worm food, our ashes blown away in the wind long ago, or sitting in an urn on somebody's fireplace.

I've mentioned this before, but one of my cherished Sabres memories from the old days and the Aud is being up in the oranges, pre-game, and looking out to that hanging gondola press box contraption and seeing RJ there, talking to someone, while smoking a butt and drinking a large glass of beer from a see-through plastic cup.

That was probably some time in the late '70s or very early '80s.  

No doubt all part of his pre-game ritual to help get revved up for the game.

I remember the Sabres announcing a detailed "wind down" plan for RJ several years ago, around the time Dunleavy joined the program.  The plan was for RJ to continue in reduced fashion for like 3-5 more years or something, and Dunleavy said, at the time, basically something like if the Sabres ever become worth a damned while RJ is still kicking, he can come out of retirement or do whatever he wants to take over the broadcast booth and Dunleavy will get out of the way.

Perhaps that original plan has now been re-worked several times; I don't know.

I do know the team is very relaxed about letting RJ work a reduced schedule of his choosing and he avoids long road trips out west and all that stuff so as to prolong his career.

 

[Kruppstahl]

1 hour ago, Skibum said:

One has to wonder how much of his twilight years he will devote to a team that can't even get a whiff of the playoffs. 

I've been wondering about that myself, but if it was a concern, I think he would have hung it up by now.

I love RJ, but he is a man of pride and ego, and I think he genuinely loves to death what he has done for a living.

I suspect it's very hard for him to walk away.  If it was easier, he would have surely done it by now.

We have just ended the 8th year of easily, by far, the worst stretch of Sabres hockey in their existence.

 

 

[Drunkard]

1 hour ago, Kruppstahl said:

I've mentioned this before, but one of my cherished Sabres memories from the old days and the Aud is being up in the oranges, pre-game, and looking out to that hanging gondola press box contraption and seeing RJ there, talking to someone, while smoking a butt and drinking a large glass of beer from a see-through plastic cup.

That was probably some time in the late '70s or very early '80s.  

No doubt all part of his pre-game ritual to help get revved up for the game.

I remember the Sabres announcing a detailed "wind down" plan for RJ several years ago, around the time Dunleavy joined the program.  The plan was for RJ to continue in reduced fashion for like 3-5 more years or something, and Dunleavy said, at the time, basically something like if the Sabres ever become worth a damned while RJ is still kicking, he can come out of retirement or do whatever he wants to take over the broadcast booth and Dunleavy will get out of the way.

Perhaps that original plan has now been re-worked several times; I don't know.

I do know the team is very relaxed about letting RJ work a reduced schedule of his choosing and he avoids long road trips out west and all that stuff so as to prolong his career.

 

I got to meet RJ at one of those road crew events in Raleigh about 8-10 years ago and he was putting back beers like it was his job. I tried to buy him and Harry Neale a round but he was drinking on the house anyway. The dude is a machine built to turn beer into piss. He always set his beer on the table behind him each time it was time to meet and greet whoever was next in line, then he turned and took a gulp between greetings. I think they had to replace his beer every 3 guests or so and there were hundreds of us there. That's how I know he's a cyborg.

Edited March 26, 2019 by Drunkard

[Stoner]

I once predicted he'd be taken out of the press box on a stretcher. It came to pass. Then he wheeled himself back in, figuratively speaking. Before the season one of the Sabres' brass (since shitcanned?) said Rick could stick around as long as he was "Rick" and could do a good job. I found it to be a bit of a challenge, and I think Rick has responded admirably to it. Half his problem is how terrible the team has been.

[7+6=13]

16 hours ago, Drunkard said:

I got to meet RJ at one of those road crew events in Raleigh about 8-10 years ago and he was putting back beers like it was his job. I tried to buy him and Harry Neale a round but he was drinking on the house anyway. The dude is a machine built to turn beer into piss. He always set his beer on the table behind him each time it was time to meet and greet whoever was next in line, then he turned and took a gulp between greetings. I think they had to replace his beer every 3 guests or so and there were hundreds of us there. That's how I know he's a cyborg.

Sounds pretty sad to me

[SHAAAUGHT!!!]

On 3/26/2019 at 10:44 AM, Drunkard said:

Rick Jeanneret is a cyborg that is fueled by beer. He will outlive us all and continue to work until the Sabres finally win a Cup in 2154 when all of us are worm food, our ashes blown away in the wind long ago, or sitting in an urn on somebody's fireplace.

The popularity of IPAs over the last few years has led to capacity constraints with his fuel sources, forcing him to remain close to the Niagara Region so he can repower as needed.  Don't forget, it was only a few months ago when the influx of returning hipsters - back from college - bought all the seasonal lagers (as 6 packs too ...the savages...), forcing a scary situation in the broadcast booth when cyborg-RJ ran out of fuel.  This almost caused c-RJ to become self aware and realize that he is no longer just a man, but the future of mankind.  

Go Sabres.  Long live RJ.

[Kruppstahl]

20 hours ago, PASabreFan said:

I once predicted he'd be taken out of the press box on a stretcher. It came to pass. Then he wheeled himself back in, figuratively speaking. Before the season one of the Sabres' brass (since shitcanned?) said Rick could stick around as long as he was "Rick" and could do a good job. I found it to be a bit of a challenge, and I think Rick has responded admirably to it. Half his problem is how terrible the team has been.

Also not to be overlooked is a complete absence of tough, physical play and fighting from Sabres hockey and the league in general.

Rick's most impassioned calls over the years, and when he really gets revved up, were when the fireworks went off.

On his DVD highlight thing they released several years ago, he straight up mentions on camera that he was told by past commissioners to tone it down when it came to his enthusiasm for the fights.

He was like "I'm just going with the flow...the crowd seems to love it" or something like that.

Even now, when a "fight" looks it might break out, listen to his tone and volume; he shifts into high gear!

 

 

[PerreaultForever]

I'm not sure a decent Sabres team would be good for him. He manages to get excited about the tiniest glimmers now an actual good team might be too much for him. 

[SABRES 0311]

I would love for him to call a cup winning game for the Sabres. Honestly though I just hope he is still around when they do win a cup. The man deserves to see it more than anyone I can think of.

[Drunkard]

On ‎3‎/‎27‎/‎2019 at 8:09 AM, 7+6=13 said:

Sounds pretty sad to me

More like awesome. It was a PR event with fans. It's not like he was driving a school bus or performing brain surgery. The guy is old enough (even then) that he could have retired whenever he wanted but thousands of people beg him to stay on the job constantly and he enjoys the gig (presumably). Nothing wrong with pounding a few colds one while snapping pics, shaking hands, and signing autographs.

[7+6=13]

7 hours ago, Drunkard said:

More like awesome. It was a PR event with fans. It's not like he was driving a school bus or performing brain surgery. The guy is old enough (even then) that he could have retired whenever he wanted but thousands of people beg him to stay on the job constantly and he enjoys the gig (presumably). Nothing wrong with pounding a few colds one while snapping pics, shaking hands, and signing autographs.

Of course that's your opinion and I don't think you're wrong or that he should do what I think.  I just think that if you have to "pound beers" gulping them in no time between handshakes - is a scenario that seems unattractive to me.  To each his own.  

[Drunkard]

14 minutes ago, 7+6=13 said:

Of course that's your opinion and I don't think you're wrong or that he should do what I think.  I just think that if you have to "pound beers" gulping them in no time between handshakes - is a scenario that seems unattractive to me.  To each his own.  

Fair enough. He definitely seemed to be enjoying himself, but I only watched him for 20 minutes or so while I was waiting in line to meet him, then I shook his hand, talked to him for 2 or 3 minutes and begged him to never retire. Then I got in line to meet Lindy Ruff.

[SwampD]

7 hours ago, 7+6=13 said:

Of course that's your opinion and I don't think you're wrong or that he should do what I think.  I just think that if you have to "pound beers" gulping them in no time between handshakes - is a scenario that seems unattractive to me.  To each his own.  

Have you talked to Sabres fans lately? I can't log in to this site without pounding a few.

[Ogre]

19 minutes ago, SwampD said:

Have you talked to Sabres fans lately? I can't log in to this site without pounding a few.

Alcohol is like any other drug, including caffeine. I appreciate @7+6=13‘s view...There are drugs that I can not stand...I can’t understand opioids to save my life! There are drugs that have saved my life..Really. LSD brought me to a secure understanding of my place in creation. It’s difficult to accept total failure(and the signals that society may be suggesting that you are one)when you’ve seen the vastness of the human mind and why exactly people fail individually...(very complicated, diverse conversation)..

There are people that need to stay far away from the mind benders, but there are also people like me that have embraced the questions out there...

[SwampD]

24 minutes ago, Ogre said:

Alcohol is like any other drug, including caffeine. I appreciate @7+6=13‘s view...There are drugs that I can not stand...I can’t understand opioids to save my life! There are drugs that have saved my life..Really. LSD brought me to a secure understanding of my place in creation. It’s difficult to accept total failure(and the signals that society may be suggesting that you are one)when you’ve seen the vastness of the human mind and why exactly people fail individually...(very complicated, diverse conversation)..

There are people that need to stay far away from the mind benders, but there are also people like me that have embraced the questions out there...

I agree. Never liked the one size fits all about those things, or anything really. I can't post in the other thread, but sorry to hear of your struggles today and thinking about you. Hang in there.