JoeSchmoe Posted March 24, 2022 Report Posted March 24, 2022 (edited) Now that the team is starting to look good again, do you think we can convince RJ and the Sabres brass for him to stick around for one more year? Can we get this trending? Maybe we wait a bit just to see for sure if this little run they're on is legit, but with the reinforcements coming from Roch and the NCAA, we could be scary good sooner than planned. Can it work? Edited March 24, 2022 by JoeSchmoe Quote
Doohicksie Posted March 24, 2022 Report Posted March 24, 2022 Dunleavy would be pissed 😉 When he was hired it's because RJ's retirement was imminent, yet here he still is. Quote
Zamboni Posted March 24, 2022 Report Posted March 24, 2022 No. I love RJ, but he wants to go out on his terms. And he is. And no, a silly social media campaign won’t move the needle at all in regards to him changing his mind IMO. 1 Quote
LGR4GM Posted March 24, 2022 Report Posted March 24, 2022 I could see RJ coming back for a playoff game or 2 but no, he's ready to retire. 4 Quote
Doohicksie Posted March 24, 2022 Report Posted March 24, 2022 2 hours ago, LGR4GM said: I could see RJ coming back for a playoff game or 2 but no, he's ready to retire. Yeah, I could see him doing one or two games next year as a "guest" announcer, but not much more than that. As I recall the Red Wings were in a similar situation when they won the Cup in 1997. Bruce Martyn had retired as the Wings radio voice in 1995 but did the second period of the Cup clinching game in 1997. He called Darren McCarty's goal which proved to be the Cup winner. 2 Quote
jsb Posted March 24, 2022 Report Posted March 24, 2022 The guy is 79 years old, he still has a flare but I think he's retiring (well deserved by the way) because it's just too physically taxing on him. You may not necessarily see it but at a certain point in life you just don't have the energy needed to perform and travel the way you used to. Unfortunately I think he realizes it and wants to give it a rest and enjoy the rest of his life without the public and personal expectations. 1 Quote
JoeSchmoe Posted March 24, 2022 Author Report Posted March 24, 2022 (edited) I get the impression he might be getting pushed out the door by the cost conscious Pegulas. No proof, but I seem to recall him saying he enjoys calling games and wouldn't want to be doing anything else. Again, if the team in front of him was good, I could see the motivation level going up. Edited March 24, 2022 by JoeSchmoe 1 Quote
Stoner Posted March 24, 2022 Report Posted March 24, 2022 59 minutes ago, jsb said: The guy is 79 years old, he still has a flare but I think he's retiring (well deserved by the way) because it's just too physically taxing on him. You may not necessarily see it but at a certain point in life you just don't have the energy needed to perform and travel the way you used to. Unfortunately I think he realizes it and wants to give it a rest and enjoy the rest of his life without the public and personal expectations. It was obvious this season that when he had plenty of time off and rest, he took probably 10 years off his broadcasting age. 1 Quote
Stoner Posted March 24, 2022 Report Posted March 24, 2022 11 hours ago, JoeSchmoe said: Now that the team is starting to look good again, do you think we can convince RJ and the Sabres brass for him to stick around for one more year? Can we get this trending? Maybe we wait a bit just to see for sure if this little run they're on is legit, but with the reinforcements coming from Roch and the NCAA, we could be scary good sooner than planned. Can it work? One more year, no. But to paraphrase Terry, if I had a nickel to my name, I'd bet this offseason's version of Rick deciding his future will be Rick and the Sabres talking about his role in the franchise, which will include him calling a game here and there. (Also, it's worth noting that Jiggs retired years ago from the Isles and surely got a huge sendoff, and they just brought him out of mothballs when the current voice was unavailable. Well, what's gonna happen if Dan gets laryngitis next season and has to miss a couple? You know where Rick's going, top shelf!) 50 minutes ago, JoeSchmoe said: I get the impression he might be getting pushed out the door by the cost conscious Pegulas. No proof, but I seem to recall him saying he enjoys calling games and wouldn't want to be doing anything else. Again, if the team in front of him was good, I could see the motivation level going up. To be clear, I liked this post for how it ended. Even I can't get behind the first sentence. lol 1 Quote
SABRESfan Posted March 24, 2022 Report Posted March 24, 2022 Gunna miss RJ for sure. The best in the biz. 1 Quote
mjd1001 Posted March 24, 2022 Report Posted March 24, 2022 5 hours ago, LGR4GM said: I could see RJ coming back for a playoff game or 2 but no, he's ready to retire. How about having him come back as a guest in the booth when he is attending a game and doing a period maybe? On the other hand, I seem to think RJ will be like John Madden when he retired. I remember Madden, after he retired, was asked to come back and do a game. He said no, and his reason was once he retired, he stopped studying the league as a job, he stopped doing the prep work, all that is involved with the game. He didn't talk to the coaches and players to keep up with the 'inside trends' He treated it as a fan and was too far behind on the detailed stuff. I think RJ would be the same way, not coming back for a game, or even a period...cold. 1 Quote
triumph_communes Posted March 24, 2022 Report Posted March 24, 2022 (edited) Guy isn’t going to last long not working Hope he can get a celebratory playoff game (or at least period) next season. Dunleavy would understand. Edited March 24, 2022 by triumph_communes 2 Quote
msw2112 Posted March 24, 2022 Report Posted March 24, 2022 (edited) 2 hours ago, JoeSchmoe said: I get the impression he might be getting pushed out the door by the cost conscious Pegulas. No proof, but I seem to recall him saying he enjoys calling games and wouldn't want to be doing anything else. Again, if the team in front of him was good, I could see the motivation level going up. I completely disagree with the first sentence. The guy is a legend and I believe the Pegulas would keep him around longer if he wanted to keep at it. Relative to player salaries and other costs, his salary is a drop in the bucket. I also completely AGREE with the 2nd sentence. It's a lot more fun to do your job when things are positive. It doesn't feel like a grind when you're having fun doing your job. Edited March 24, 2022 by msw2112 1 Quote
JoeSchmoe Posted March 24, 2022 Author Report Posted March 24, 2022 24 minutes ago, mjd1001 said: He didn't talk to the coaches and players to keep up with the 'inside trends' He treated it as a fan and was too far behind on the detailed stuff. I think RJ would be the same way, not coming back for a game, or even a period...cold. I get the picture that RJ's version of keeping up on the details is knowing which part of the fridge has the coldest beer. Other than that, he knows the names and numbers of the players and just calls the game as he sees it. In Madden's case, he was a colour analyst. Knowing the details was more critical. 1 Quote
Marvin Posted March 24, 2022 Report Posted March 24, 2022 I think he does what the late Danny Gallivan used to do and drop into the press box once in a while to greet the fans. He deserves his rest and then calling his shots. 1 Quote
Doohicksie Posted March 24, 2022 Report Posted March 24, 2022 7 hours ago, PASabreFan said: Well, what's gonna happen if Dan gets laryngitis next season and has to miss a couple? Kevin Sylvester. 1 Quote
Zamboni Posted March 24, 2022 Report Posted March 24, 2022 4 minutes ago, The Ghost of Yuri said: Kevin Sylvester. 2 Quote
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