OH, HEY...

So, I'm a little slow this season...

Did I comment on training camp at all? NO. Did I attend just about every single training camp practice? YES.

Did I have anything to say about the preseason? NO. Did I go to both preseason games that took place in HSBC Arena? YES.

Did I critique the clothing choices of our boys on the Red Carpet? NO. Did I attend said event, camera in hand, firmly planted at the edge of the carpet? YES.

Have I said anything at all about the season thus far? NO. Have I seen every single Sabres game thus far? YES.

Basically, WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?

Since I've already missed so much, as far as SC is concerned, I'm just going to jump right in and pretend that I've been blogging all along. Is that okay with you? Well, it had better be. I have a list of things to address.

First of all, Daniel Paille.

(Insert a rant from yours truly, because I had a few long, strongly worded yet deeply emotional paragraphs written, and then Safari decided to quit on me without Blogger having saved said writing.)

My dear friend Kelsey and I were in Pittsburgh for the Pens/Blues game when we got the news. And let me tell you, I FREAKED. We were eating dinner at a pizza place downtown when he heard about Stafford's tweet, and I was frantically trying to find out who was no longer a Sabre for TWO HOURS until we were sitting in our seats in the Igloo when Kim had the decency to call me and enlighten me.

My initial reaction? "NO! They can't trade Pie! He just got married! Now I can't run into Dan and Dana at Wegmans." :(

But really, I'm happy for Danny. He deserved to play night in and night out, and that wasn't happening here. So for that reason, I approve of the trade. Otherwise, I'm pissed that he went to a division rival, and livid that we received next to nothing for him. I don't know how to feel about this, Darcy...

Moving on.

Next up, Derek Roy.

Do I really have to dust off the wheels of the Bench-Derek-Roy-Bandwagon already? WE HAVEN'T BEEN PLAYING FOR A MONTH YET, D. I shouldn't be this mad at you already. I mean, 8 assists in 11 games isn't much to sneeze at, but really? NO GOALS?!?!? Come on, Princess. Kyle expects better from you.

And I will bring back the bandwagon if you don't have a goal before Game 15. In full-force. Yes, Derek... That's a promise AND a threat.

Thirdly, Patrick Kaleta.

Who lit a fire under his ass?! I mean, seriously! For a hot minute there, the kid was at the top of our score sheet! Don't get me wrong; I love every bit of it! But Patty K! I didn't make a ridiculous trade to get you on my fantasy team for you to stop hitting people so much. Your numbers in that column are so pedestrian. Step it up a little bit, babe. Please. Otherwise, keep up the fabulous work!

Oh boy, oh boy... Who's next? OH! Tyler Freaking Myers!

This "mammoth" never ceases to bring a smile to my face! Whether it's his spectacular manners (momma raised the boy right!) , or how impressed I am with his play, I'm beyond glad that the Sabres decided to keep him.

Timmy needs to be taught some manners, you know?

Now, Mike Grier.

I honestly believe that Mike Grier was the majority of the spark behind the teams that almost went all the way back in 2006 and 2007. The visible heart in the Sabres' game is so much different that anything we have seen the past two years, and it all came as soon as Grier was back in the locker room.

Look at the way Briere exploded when he came to Buffalo. Notice how Clarke MacArthur is coming around? Maybe it's just a coincidence, maybe it's not. I'm thinking the latter.

Imagine how we could be if we had Chris Drury still... But! I'm not going there...

Lastly, Jason Pominville.

Yes, yes, I'm glad his game appears to be returning to what it was the season before last, when he played well, but that's not what I want to talk about at all.

BABY POMMER!!! So the baby was born over the weekend, and that's all we know. Believe me, I fully intend on using my connections at the different area hospitals and cashing in favors to have my friends sneak up to the nurseries and look for Pommer and Kim's adorable spawn. (Not really, of course, but I'm tempted.)

Seriously though, I would probably have to kill myself if they ever dress that baby in a little sailor outfit, because the kid is most likely just too cute naked. That would just be overkill.


I think that's about all I had wanted to discuss... You know, the finer points of the first month of the season that normally I'd have rambled on and on about.

All we can do is hope that the Sabres can roll with the punches and stay atop the division. The way they bounce back Wednesday will show a lot, especially since we play the same Islanders team that threw us out of the Nassau Coliseum on Saturday. Hopefully, since Kaleta and Gaustad should be back, there'll be a little more attitude on the Sabres' bench.

WOW THAT WAS BAD AND MY NEW PROJECT

Okay so we all know how bad last night's game was well until the third period at least which is why I'm grateful that my mom and I were in Rochester for the Bandits' game. Who by the way lost in overtime, hey sound familiar? Now not to rag on Buffalo sports, but seriously it's like they don't want me to be happy. On a side note: MAXXX you make me happy and Paul and Pie and that's about it at this point.

Because I was at the Bandit's game last night Cari and S(h)ara were texting me updates the whole night to the never ending glee of the guy sitting next to me, who also happened to be a rabid Sabres fan. At one point, when Max scored, I got so excited that my phone flew out of my hands and into his lap where he saw the text I was sending S(h)ara something like "Max my heart my soul thrives only for you" or something equally ridiculous. Needless to say he made fun of me the rest of the night for obsessively checking my cell phone asking me if "my heart" had scored anymore goals. Max score two goals in one night? Perish the thought.

Now I'm not sure how many of you have any idea how much of a rivalry there is between the Bandits and the Rochester Knighthawks, lets just say that it pretty much equals the rivalry between Ottawa and the Sabres. Unfortunately, and much to my disappointment, Brandon Francis our new go to fighter got scratched so things weren't getting nearly as interesting as usual. The Bandits' lost mainly because we couldn't seem to keep the ball out of our end and the Knighthawks defense kept shutting down the Bandits' best goal scorer, and Cari's Bandits sweetie, Mark (Whose House?) Steenhuis. It was a heartbreaking loss especially against a team who we had no problem beating the last time we played them, it ended up being 23 to 6 in favor of the Bandits. I do however have a new shirt idea for the next time we play Rochester a guy walking up the stairs had a Fuck The Knighthawks t-shirt on. Well in an effort to keep everything PG I figure I'll make a T-Shirt that says Pluck the Hawks, it both gets the point across and won't offend anyone, well except maybe Knighthawks fans.

Oh and thanks to the lovely Clare from All Hawks Hockey I have my new summer project. I try to undertake at least one large project over the summer, last year it was scrapbooking all my pictures from my family's trip to California. This year it'll be to create a wall of pictures mounted on plaks (and as Clare pointed out no this isn't spelled wrong) to hang on my bedroom wall at home. These pictures are going to be hockey related and I'm going to need some help because, if you don't know it already, I have dial up at home so therefore to search for pictures takes an unbelievably long time. I'm asking any of our readers to send me their favorite pictures of hockey players regardless of the team the player might come from, I'm trying to broaden my horizons, and I'll pick the best ones to put on my wall. The pictures can be anything action shots, stylized, posed, ones you've personally taken, 'borrowed' from other people, gotten off google whatever the point is that I'd appreciate any help you guys could give me in the picture department. My email address is km.sabrechaser@gmail.com. Thanks guys (in the generic sense).

I need a few days to recover from the two losses so I'm going to go watch the first two periods of last nights game that we DVRed basically forgetting that hockey has a third period and that the Sabres used it to fall apart.

T-MINUS 2 DAYS...

The trade deadline is Wednesday and for now it all comes down to who stays and who goes. Now I'm not going to get into any great theories about who we should get and who should go because, let's face it, I'm not managment for the Sabres and they probably know a whole hell of a lot more than I can ever hope to about what they're looking for.

However, there is one thing that I do know for certain, Max needs to go. Now I love Max don't get me wrong but the man has been nothing but a waste of roster space for the last two seasons, performing well below average. In an interview Max claimed that he has been ready to play since the middle of February but Ruff hasn't put him in the line up, well needless to say it's the beginning of March and Max hasn't set foot out on the ice in a playing capacity. I'll be sad to see Max go, he was my first Sabres love and you never forget your first love, but it's time that he was put out to greener pastures or at least given to another team for a bag of pucks or maybe a pretty new pair of gloves or some skates.

It would have killed me a few years ago to admit that Max needs to go but right now he's using up valuble roster space that could go to a player who's actually going to play and who's going to play well. Instead of trading for another player how about we get some draft picks and we bring up one of the guys from Portland to fill Max's skates?

I get the text updates from the Sabres and if you do too you know the sinking feeling you get when a new text pops up on the screen. The texts can mean just about anything ranging from someone's hurt, someone's been called up from the minors, that the new mini pucks are on sale and come tomorrow or Wednesday who's been put up on the chopping block.

Now yesterday, because the new mini pucks go on sale on Sundays, I saw I had a text message as I was sitting in the upper room in my church. Now let's just say that I forgot about the whole mini puck thing and I was ready to scream when I saw the text because I thought for sure it was going to bring me bad news that I was not prepared to handle, such as the trading of beloved Pie or Staffy or someone equally as precious to my heart.

Now I'm in school all day tomorrow and I have a feeling if something's going to happen it's going to go down tomorrow and I will inevitably be sitting in class when the news of a trade breaks. Let's just put it this way there are going to be a lot of inquisitive stares directed my way if I'm in class when it happens. They're going to be wondering why all of a sudden I have a death grip on my phone, why I'm making high keening noises and I'm screaming why, why, over and over again. I'm sure they're going to suspect that I've experienced some kind of psychotic breakdown.

Whatever happens in the next two days it's inevitable that someone's going to go. However, how many people get traded is still up in the air and who we're going to get for said tradees remains to be seen. But one thing is for certain things are going to change but whether it's for the better or for the worse I guess we'll figure that out Wednesday night.

MISSING: A GRITTY, OFFENSIVE FIRST-ROUNDER.

I've been thinking about how I was going to go about this entry for quite a while now, but I feel that it's finally necessary, whether or not I want to write it, or whether or not I know how to do it.


Really, though, where has Daniel Paille disappeared to? (Do I really need to put this picture on the side of all milk cartons in Buffalo?)

I mean, last season, he was our diamond in the rough. He played in 77 games, had 19 goals and 16 assists, and finished a plus-nine. He showed great potential as being a guy who would go into the corners, battle with the opposition, and he showed signs of playing without fear.

Aside from the first month of the season, I haven't noticed him on the ice, and that worries me.

At the start of the season, Paille came storming out of the gates in a presence-sense, hitting everything in sight. That tapered off in a matter of games, surprising for a guy who was voted the hardest checker in the OHL back in the day.

That, however, is not the only upsetting thing about number 20. What is? The fact that he has been wildly inconsistent and unreliable is what worries me.

In October, he only registered points in four games. Paille had one goal and four assists for the month, and was a plus-one. This was across the Sabres' 10 games. That's not that bad, considering that he produced an average .5 points per game, which would land him a pace of 40 points for the season.

November, though, was a travesty. Dan missed two of the Sabres' 13 games in the month, one as a healthy scratch up in Boston (Nov. 8), and the other (also against Boston, on Nov. 26) due to illness (the flu). So he played in 11 games, in which he put up points in three, leaving him with one goal and two assists on the month. He was also a minus-three. That's a terrible performance, if you ask me. I like to judge a player's offensive production by averages of points per game, if you hadn't noticed, because I think just goals or just assists doesn't tell the whole story. But Dan's tells a very scary story, because in November, he was only at .27 points per game. Yeah. Enough said.

The month of December was hardly better to Paille. Appearing in all 14 games for the team, Dan only racked up two goals and two assists, those coming in three games. A minus-three on the month, Paille's points per game stat sat at .29.

Thus far in January, Paille has played in the Sabres' four games. He had an assist in only one of those games, putting his points per game at .25, and he's at an even zero on the plus/minus.

What does that leave him at for the season? Well, after 39 games, Paille has four goals and nine assists, totaling for 13 points, that's .33 points per game. And he's at a minus-five. Pace for the season? At this rate, he'll appear in 80 games, and his stats will improve to eight goals and 18 assists, for 26 points (still only .33 per game), and finish at a minus-five.

How do I feel about this?

You all should know by now that I am a Daniel Paille fan. If you don't, you do now. I really took a liking to him last season, but thus far in 2008-09, I'm not impressed at all. I should definitely be seeing more from a first-round draft pick, especially when he tore up the OHL. This, however, is about the level he produced at in Rochester while there.

I think, though, if someone needs to be packaged up in a trade to clear some room, or to Maxim Afinogenov look more appealing to other teams, Paille would be the guy I would send, as much as it would break my heart. Many people would say Drew Stafford would be a better guy to send packing, but Stafford is doing well on a line with Derek Roy. I'd leave him alone. Paille has struggled all year, and that could just be a general struggle.

But can we really afford to have a guy who is supposed to be one of our more gritty lower-scoring forwards on our team? It could be a deal-breaker if we're fighting for a playoff spot come March. That's all I'm saying...

Alas, Kim and I will be joining the other bloggers down at Casa di Pizza tonight for the game, as she mentioned last night. It will most definitely be a good time, and hopefully the Sabres will finally be able to solve Ty Conklin. I'm really sick of him having our number. Let's get his for a change, eh?

HAPPY DAY YOU CAME INTO EXISTENCE

SO this is going to be really quick because I'm sitting at Cari's house eating hot pockets and we're going to be picking up our friend Jen and her sister Julie so that we can all go to the game tonight and enjoy some Sabres winning... hopefully. I have prayed to the hockey gods long and hard and if they grant my request Squidney Crotchby will get hurt and will be out the rest of the season and will not be able to break his no goal streak and the Sabres will win by about a bazillion goals so if all goes to plan this should be one hell of a game. Oh yeah and it would be great if Paul played but I know the hope is futile, but hey a girl can dream can't she. 

But ANYWAY, enough of my inane rambling this post is primarily in existence to wish my PIC, or partner in crime a very very happy PAILLE BIRTHDAY. I couldn't embarrass her today like I wanted to because we didn't go to a restaurant where they sing to you obnoxiously about how happy they are that it's your birthday...like they care.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR CARI, may the hockey gods look favorably down upon you and may they grace us with a win tonight in honor of the day you came into existence.

Turkey?? Pfft.... I WANT GOOSE.

Cari: Danny, I missed you tonight.

Dan: Yeah, I wish I could've played, but you know how it goes...

Cari: So, why did I see you all sad and lonely up in the press box this evening?

Dan: Well, you know, I got sick somehow. I think Drew might've given me some candy off the floor or something... Adam's always telling me and Clarke not to take stuff from Drew because he's a weirdo. But Drew always has the best candy and stuff, so I didn't think it would be a problem...

Cari: Okay, you're sick... That makes sense, I guess. But why were you all by yourself? How come you weren't sitting with Timmy?

Dan: First of all, I'm not allowed to hang out with Timmy. Adam says he plays Doctor too much, and that I can't play with him if he does. Second of all, I was in Time Out.

Cari: Time Out?!? How come?

Dan: Because I threw up in Nathan's skates...

Cari: So that's why he wasn't playing tonight... But why all alone, though?

Dan: Adam said it was punishment for not throwing up in "that little puke Lucic's" skates. I kinda wish I had after he tried to kill all my friends tonight. I'm going to get him one day for that. And that's a promise. But Pat already told me that Lucic had better watch out if they're ever on the ice at the same time.

Cari: Yeah, I don't care for him much, either, especially after he went after Princess D.

Dan: Yeah. Oh hey! I like that jersey on you, by the way. I'll tell Derek that you look good in his name. Hey, and maybe that's why he played so well tonight!!

Cari: Danny, my friend, I LIKE THE WAY YOU THINK. And also, tell him that I honestly believe in my heart that he should have had four goals tonight, the last coming on a penalty shot? Thanks much.

Dan: Sure thing.

Cari: And make sure everyone knows that Kim and I, next time we're in Boston, are going to track Milan Lucic down and beat his ass. Because I hate him.

Dan: I know. Hey, I have to go. It's past my bedtime.

Cari: Okay, Danny. I'll talk to you later. Good night, precious.


----------------------------------------------


So, beyond that, I'm soooooo incredibly happy about tonight's game. But here are the things I'm thankful for:

- The guy behind us at the game tonight who said "I want to call up Gerbe just to see if he could skate through Chara's legs."

- The group of four 11-year-old boys who told a Bruins fan that they'd "never seen a girl look hotter in a Boston jersey."

- The fact that no Sabres died in the making of this victory.

- Derek Roy's inability to stop finding ways to make me love him, and make fun of him, all at the same time.

- Paul Gaustad and Ryan Miller's inability to stop raising my expectations of men.

- Thomas Vanek's ability to continuously light the lamp.

- Patrick Kaleta, Andrew Peters, and Adam Mair's willingness to beat the crap out of people and sacrifice their bodies for the sake of the game.

- Tim Connolly's strength of character, combined with his entertaining sex-capades.

- Drew Stafford's Facebook pictures.

- Henrik Tallinder's dancing.

- Jaroslav Spacek's interviews.

- Nathan Paetsch's smile.

- Mark Mancari's voice.

- Daniel Paille's inability to take a normal-looking picture.

- Patrick Lalime's adoration of his daughters.

- Craig Rivet's adoration of Buffalo.

- Jason Pominville's loyalty to The (dreaded) System.

- Maxim Afinogenov's best game in a long time.

- Jochen Hecht's shortie, as well as the look on his face when he heard me say "I love you."

- Ales Kotalik's admission that he designed a line of hats.

- Clarke MacArthur's curly hair.

- Toni Lydman's choice in women.

- Teppo Numminen's picture from 1985.

- Andrej Sekera's polo player sweater.

- Lindy Ruff's ability to inspire these guys, year after year, after year.

- All of the Sabres Bloggers, because they're all foxy and incredibly intelligent, and probably some of the funniest writers I've ever come across.

- The city of Buffalo for being amazing.

- My cat Delilah for being the cutest fat cat around.

- And, lastly, my beautifully sexy friends, especially my dear Kimberly, as well as my mostly awesome family. Without them, I'd be completely lost in life.



So, everyone, have a beautiful holiday with your respective loved ones, and Kim and I will resume posting on Friday. I'm sure I forgot stuff about the game tonight, and I'm equally as sure Kim will let me know about it. So those things will make it up here eventually. But, until then, be safe, eat turkey, and love those Sabres!!

RUMORS OF MY DEMISE...

So looking back I realize that I haven't post in about a week and a half and I realized that many of you, that is if you care, might be wondering where the hell I am, or maybe you didn't notice, well if you did I thank you for caring. Let's put it this way, I am the bug on the windshield of life, I'm feeling all good and happy and then all of a sudden it's not so good and happy.

But anyway I have the rest of the week off so yay to vacation and sleep, which is what again? oh that's right something I haven't had a lot of in the past 3 weeks, unlike my wonderful counter part who has class tomorrow (sorry Cari, you know I love you). But that means I've also had time to update my profile information here, which previously looked like Old Mother Hubbard's cupboard, as well as catch up on some reading which involved books not composed of really long complicated words that I don't know the meaning of.

But in other good news Cari and I shall be attending tomorrow night's game against Boston and I feel I must remind you of what happened the last time we attended a Boston game together...oh that's right they LOST, something new and different for them (complete sarcasm there). We'll have played Boston three times in the last three weeks tomorrow night having lost two of those contest, so needless to say our track record against Boston has been less than stellar this season.
But, hopefully we can turn that all around tomorrow night with the return of Hank and Max to the line up, oh hockey gods let's hope.

The question remains, however, who sits out? The most obvious bench warmer for defense would be Nathan because he's been the odd man out all year, but well, I happen to think he played pretty damn well for someone who's had a pretty good view of the ice from the press box for most of the season. Offense is trickier, Boston is a pretty physical team which means we're going to need the enforcers patrolling the ice so that rules out Peters and Kaleta most likely. Paille is another player who could take a seat but seeing as it was his line that scored the first goal, YAY MARK, in Saturday night's game I'm thinking he's probably going to be playing. That leaves us with everyone's favorite rockstar, Drew Stafford, who, and it pains me to say this, has been really sucky lately, so he has my vote for bench warmer tomorrow night. But I guess we'll just have to wait and see what Lindy decides is best for the team.

Anyways, I hope everyone has a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving, I'll be going to my brother's in Rochester, gorging myself on turkey, stuffing and potato puff, staying over and then going shopping with my sister-in-law early on Friday. Which means I probably won't be posting until after Friday night's game unless something drastic happens betwen now and then, let's hope not, unless it's of the good variety.

So until then, LET'S GO BUFFALO.

Hello, Paul? It's Me, Cari...

Paul: Hello?

Cari: Hey, Paul, it's me.

Paul: Oh, hey!!  How are you?

Cari: I'm good, but Paul?  Why do you have bunny ears on?

Paul: Oh, Cari, don't you know that Friday is Halloween?  I have to find my costume still, you know.

Cari: So what are you trying to be with that getup?  A modest cross between a Chippendales dancer and a Playboy Bunny?

Paul: How'd you guess?

Cari: It's not that difficult...  Anyways, let me get to why I called.  Paul, are you healthy?

Paul: Well, I don't know.  Ultimately, that's up to Lindy.

Cari: Well, please decide, because if you or Timmy aren't ready to play tomorrow night, and Adam does get suspended for his shenanigans--oh my God, I just thought of this, but if Adam does get suspended, who's going to take care of the Man Children?--but if he does get suspended, we need another guy, and it had better be one of you.

Paul: Cari, we'll have to cross that bridge when we get to it.  The NHL is quote-unquote investigating is, so...

Cari: Well, I don't trust the NHL.  I'm hoping at most they'll slap him with a fine, but Paul, what if?  Who would we get from Portland?  Mark?  So we can risk waiving him again?  No thank you.

Paul: Stop being such a worry wart.  You're upsetting my aura.  Hey, where are my milk and cookies for being hurt?  I never got them.  I thought you were going to leave them on my doorstep for me?

Cari: Kim wouldn't let me.  She said that would be crossing the line.

Paul: They're cookies.  Cookies never cross the line.

Cari: Good to know.  But Paul?

Paul: Yes, Cari?

Cari: Hurry back, please.  And next time don't punch people too hard.  Oh, and Paul?

Paul: Yes, Cari?

Cari: Can you tell your BFF Ryan that he's kicking ass in the TSN Power Rankings?  And ESPN's for that matter?

Paul: Sure.

Cari: And you didn't tell me who would watch Danny and Clarke in the event of Adam's absence...

Paul: Um, I don't know for sure...  Maybe Jaro?

Cari: JARO??!!  He'd probably try to lure them into the shower room with the cookies I'd make for you and then he'd fillet them, or something.  And he'd probably hang Mr. Snuffles on a plaque above his mantle...  No, Jaro; I love you, but no.

Paul: Drew, maybe?

Cari: Are you kidding me?  Drew eats paste.

Paul: Fine.  How about I give the job to the equipment guys?

Cari: They think a taxidermic pigeon is funny.  Let me think, NO.

Paul: Well, who do you suggest then?

Cari: Yourself.  Duh.  So get healthy.

Paul: I'm working on it.

Cari: I'm going to school now.  I'll talk to you later, okay?  Bye.

Paul: Bye...

Cari: (in a txt to Paul)  Oh, and tell Pommers I won't see him tonight at Dave and Adam's because I have trip preparations to commence.  And tell Petey that I'll be listening to him on Star 102.5 tomorrow at 8:10, but I might have to turn him off for Derek.  Okay?  Thanks Paul!

BOY, AM I STUPID

FIRST OF ALL, LET ME APOLOGIZE... AGAIN.

This is becoming a trend with me, no?  I'm always apologizing to you...

Anyways, I forgot to mention this morning that Craig Rivet was at Dave and Adam's this evening.  And before you get all excited and think that I'm going to have pictures for you, just don't, because I don't.  I didn't go.  I wasn't about to pay $20 to get him to scribble on a couple things.  I did want to make him milk and cookies, though, as Derek suggested.

(Speaking of Derek's suggestions, SUBMIT YOUR QUESTIONS TO HIM HERE.  And if you do ask him a question, be sure to tell me what you ask him so I can totally pimp you out when he answers it.)

BUT DO YOU KNOW WHAT ELSE I DIDN'T DO???

I'll get to that in a second.  Today, at 12:04 pm, I received this text message:

YOUR SABRES DELIVERED:  Txt your questions for winger Daniel Paille until 7 p.m. tonight to 722737 (Sabres).  Answers will be posted later on Sabres.com Txt End 2 quit

alohgalkgn;akjglajfglawjgflh how could I possibly have forgotten to come up with a good question for Danny???  I HAD 7 HOURS!!  All I could think of though was "Does Mr. Snuffles get his own seat on the airplane during roadtrips?  And who babysits him while you're playing hockey?  And how does your fiancee feel about having to share a bed with you and Mr. Snuffles?"

Yikes...

Um, and all I have to say about the whole Adam Mair fiasco is that Chris Neil and Jarkko Ruutu are jokes, and that's only because that's what Adam said.  But really, I never want to be on his bad side.  Ever.  I do think he crossed the line, a bit, though, but I think a fine is sufficient.

AND CAN I JUST SAY THAT I ALREADY HAVE PLANS TO GO TO THAT FATEFUL NEXT GAME BETWEEN US AND THE SENS??!!??  SOOOOO excited!!  Tuesday January 6, 2009.  Mark it down, kids.  It's going to be a wild and wooly one!

Oh, and before I forget (again), my new friend Caroline has started a blog (Hockey Night in Buffalo.  Amazing title, btw.), so be sure to read it, because I'm sure it'll be fantastic.  It's about the Sabres; how could it not be fantastic?

'Til tomorrow.

Friday Ramblings, and 33 (Actually 4) More Things

Please allow me to contain my ecstatic cries (and by that, I mean not at all), because THOMAS VANEK PICKED GINGER, TOO!!!  Danny, I'm disappointed in you...  But you do redeem yourself by saying you like chocolate.  AND OH MY GOODNESS!!  NEXT WEEK WE'RE TAKING A PEEK INTO YOUR LIFE FOR A DAY?  Am I finally going to meet Mr. Snuffles????   Oh, Danny, I'm so excited!!

So by now I'm sure you probably have heard about the press conference being held at HSBC Arena Monday at 2 pm in regards to the 2011 WORLD JUNIORS!!!!

CAN I PLEASE JUST TELL YOU HOW EXCITED I AM THAT WE'RE HOSTING THIS EVENT, EVEN THOUGH IT'S NOT OFFICIAL YET??!!??!!

(1) Because I adore hockey.

(2) Because I adore foreigners.

(3) Because by 2011, I'll be 21, and then I can watch all those youngins play hockey, realize that I'm a pedophile for thinking they're gorgeous, and then drink away those thoughts with a nice, cold Blue Light, and then start all over again.

AHHHHHH Love.

Oh, and when you're lacking Sabres news, and you want something interesting to hear about/listen to, I dare say you should check out the podcasts on the Sabres' site.  Yes, they're old (from two seasons ago), but they're entertaining as hell.  You've got Derek talking about his house, Drew talking about limo rides and spaghetti parm, and Marty talking about his little boy.

But more about me, since I cannot find anything else to write about, at least anything I find amusing.

(34)  I'd be the first person in line to buy tickets to the *N Sync reunion tour.  In fact, I'd probably camp out for them. 

(35)  I have this theory about the number of kids I'd like to have.  Ideally, in a perfect world (where I'd marry a Sabre and have a ridiculous amount of money), I'd want to have two boys and two girls.  I really wouldn't want four boys (too much testosterone) and I wouldn't want four girls (too much estrogen).  So I came up with this idea that I'd have three and evaluate my situation.  If I have three boys or three girls, that's it, I'm done.  But two boys and a girl, or two girls and a boy?  Go for the fourth.  BUT, since that will probably never happen, I'll probably stick with two.

(36)  I cannot remember lock combinations for the life of me.  However, to this day, I can remember the combo to the pink Master lock that I bought in third grade for my gym locker:  36-18-4.  And I remembered it by saying Barnaby-Grosek-Wilson.

(37)  When I was in fourth grade, I made in my mission in life to read all the Nancy Drew books.  I got about halfway through before the library ran out them.

And right now I can't think of anything else because Kim and I are about to go through 5 or 6 ridiculously scary haunted houses with a few guys I used to work with.  So yeah.  I just might die, because I get really scared at things like these.  Yikes.

THAT WAS A "WILD AND WOOLEY ONE!!" <3 Rick Jeanneret

FINAL SCORE:

Sabres 7

Islanders 1

This little portion of this post has nothing to do with today's game, but to my delight, when I came home from running errands, I found these on my dining room table:

If you can't read them, they're tickets to the November 8th game in Boston.  Kim and I are road-tripping up there, and up to Portland for a game.  =]  11TH ROW!!!  Serious TV possibilities...

PRE-GAME

-  Lalime is in net tonight; Ruff says Miller will play Wednesday in New York (Rangers).  Good.  Ruff's learning.

-  And Rick DiPietro isn't playing.  Shucks.

-  Some of the guys were eating spaghetti for breakfast.

-  The Geico gecko is at the game.  (It's Kid's Day)

FIRST PERIOD

20:00  Poor Ryan has to sit all by himself in the Zamboni entrance.  I'll sit with him.  And he's wearing a beanie.

16:00  I love when Rick's voice cracks.  And so far, this game has been kinda boring.  =/

13:31  Derek Roy is a beast.  He took on 4 Islanders, dumped the puck in, and recovered it.  Then had a decent shot on goal.  This is why I love him.

9:51  Power play goal by Jochen Hecht!!!!!!!  Nice goal, from the side of the net, using the goalie as a means of banking the puck in. 1-0 Buffalo.

6:22  Mike Comrie is a joke.  Jumping Henrik in retaliation...  I guess it was a little bit of an iffy hit, but that doesn't warrant cross-checking and slashing him, and then punching him with a glove on.  4 minute power play!!

2:19  ANOTHER blown 4 minute power play.  Lindy needs to do more work with the PP, and yes, I know Jochen just got a PP goal.

0:00  1-0 Buffalo.  Shots:  13-7 in favor of Buffalo

SECOND PERIOD

18:46  Lalime poke check!  I love a good poke check...

17:38  ADAM MAIRRRRR!!!!  Yay!  Way to go to the net!!  2-0 Buffalo.

17:12  Rick just said Jochen went to the dressing room at the last whistle...  And Derek looked pissed off at himself for missing a wide-open net.  I'm pissed too, Derek.

13:00 Daniel Paille (BEAST) and Thomas Vanek are my heroes!!!  Vanek scores shorthanded.  3-0 Buffalo.

11:21  The Population of Pominville is now 1!!!!  4-0 Buffalo.

11:17  FIGHT!!!!  Rivet's in the middle of it; I couldn't tell what happened to him but Mair jumped someone because he did something to Rivet (I think).  "He's eating him up!" according to Rick.  And Pat just body-slammed Witt!  LOVE!  "It's a wild and wooley one!"  And now Lindy is screaming at the Islander's bench.  Remember what Lindy does when he argues with the other bench?  I do.  That was awesome!  =]  "There's room on the bench for Ryan Miller if he wants to go over there."  PENALTIES:  Rivet get 5 minutes, and 2 game misconducts, Kaleta got a 5 and a 10, and Mair got 5.  Bergenehim got 5 and a game, same with Witt, and Thompson got a 5.  Put it all together?  80 minutes.  From one fight.  Talk about old time hockey.

10:40  Danny Paille beats out an Islander to cancel out an icing for the second time this afternoon.  Again, Beast.

9:28  Another puck banked off MacDonald for Vanek's second of the night!  And another PPG, at that.  5-0 Buffalo.

8:30  Injury Update:  Jochen Hecht's return is questionable, due to an upper body injury.  Great.

7:30  Derek jumps over someone to drive to the net with the puck.  Too bad MacDonald managed to stop that one.

3:14  Jaro got a delay of game penalty for shooting the puck over the glass.  I despise that penalty.  2:1 rush for Derek and Jason; no results.

2:00  Danny Paille possibly hurt?  Hobbled, in the least...

0:51  5:3 power play coming up!!  Haha, Comrie, you fool.  I love you.  And when I say I love you, I mean I cannot stand you.  And waving a white flag in the penalty box?  Well, there's no room in the NHL for quitters.  Bye bye.  Haha, they're playing "SOS" by the Jonas Brothers....

0:00  5-0 Buffalo.  Harry:  "The Sabres have the Islanders by the throat, and I don't think they're going to let up in the third."  Shots:  26-15 Buffalo.

THIRD PERIOD

20:00  Because Rivet got 2 game misconducts, he may or may not be suspended for a game...  That's up to the league.  I'll guess we'll have to wait and see.

19:02   Big Al, one-timer, on the power play...  6-0 Buffalo.

14:39  Islanders finally get on the board.  2:1 rush, and Hunter buries it; well, it deflected off of Spacek anyways.  6-1 Buffalo.

14:14  Vanek takes a stupid goaltender interference penalty.  Tommy, you should know better.

9:12  Danny sets up Sparky-Clarkey on a give-and-go.  Yay!!!  7-1 Buffalo.

5:20  Lalime pulls a Hasek and comes flying out of the net, up past the faceoff circle to play the puck.

0:00  7-1 Buffalo.  Shots:  35-24, Buffalo.

What.  A.  Game.  I LOVE THE SABRES!!  I don't have much time to write an elaborate recap because I'm housesitting with Kim, and the house doesn't have wireless capabilities (well, it does, but they forgot the password), so I have to post before I go over there.  And I'm going over there in about 15 minutes.  SO!  Wow.  We were physical, smart, consistent, solid, and mentally-prepared and aware.  AND OUT POWER PLAY WORKED!!  I'm so proud!  And to top it all off, Mike Comrie made a fool of himself.  It couldn't be better.  And it truly says something about a team when 14 different players get on the score sheet (see below for details).

1st Star  :  Thomas Vanek / Adam Mair

Tommy makes his case by scoring 2 goals and stepping it up on the special teams, scoring on both the power play and while shorthanded.  Adam kicked ass in that fight, and netted the game winner.

2nd Star  :  Jason Pominville / Ales Kotalik

Both guys had a goal and 2 assists, and Al's goal on the power play boosted the team.

3rd Star  :  Patrick Lalime

Way to step in and be solid in your first game in the blue and gold.  Keep it up!  Plus, I quote:  "The guys played a hell of a game!"

Islanders' Star  :  Rick DiPietro

He's the only guy on that team that can't be held accountable for this catastrophe.

Stats

For a complete list, go here, but like I said:  14 guys got on the scoresheet for Buffalo:

Vanek (2-0)

Kotalik (1-2)

Pominville (1-2)

Hecht (1-1)

MacArthur (1-0)

Mair (1-0)

Afinogenov (0-2)

Paille (0-2)

Numminen (0-1)

Rivet (0-1)

Roy (0-1)

Sekera (0-1)

Spacek (0-1)

Tallinder (0-1)

Rivet's status for Wednesday's game is up in the air, although the guys seem to think nothing will come of his 2 game misconducts.  Hecht, however, will be out for a little bit of time, according to Ruff, with an upper body injury.  More details to come with that, I'm sure.  Again, a great game.  I love these guys...

Words Cannot Describe My Glee

AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

Hockey finally starts tonight!!!!!!!!!  FOR REAL!!!  Ohmigosh I feel bad for my neighbors.  Since I cannot get to the game tonight, I'm having a little Sabres Soiree by myself, since all of my friends are either working, going to the game, or are out of town.  Well, actually, my friend Jason texted me last night and asked if I wanted to go see Quarantine with himself and some guys we used to work with, but I obviously declined, for both obvious and not-so-obvious reasons.  I HAVE HOCKEY TO WATCH, PEOPLE!!

Um, so basically I have no words to say, because I cannot even think straight.  I feel that the only thing I can come up with right now is along the lines of Lindy Ruff's words:

"Every year it's special.  I can just tell you that [the] last two mornings there you usually get in at 7:30-8 and it's been 6:30-7 because you can't wait to get it started.  And it's almost a nervous anxiety, even for coaches.  It's like, 'Do we have everything covered?  Have we gone through everything we can possibly go through?'  And when you've done that you ask that question again.  It doesn't change."

Basically, that's me.  I woke up at 9, instantly shot out of bed and ran downstairs to get my newspaper.  (Actually, my mother held up the Home & Style section to show me a picture, but sunlight was shining through and my eyes weren't completely focused due to being shut for 8 hours, so I at first thought Nathan Paetsch (model version) was Lance Bass.  Sorry, Nate.  ilu)  This is me everyday, but now every mention of the Sabres is making me squeel with joy.

I CANNOT WAIT.  I'm going shopping for Soiree Supplies shortly.  I have to decide what I want to snack on during the game.  Any suggestions?  Hmm, maybe some taco pizza, since it's all Derek Roy's rage.

Guys, if you can get to watch the game on MSG, they're showing the first episode of The Sabres Show at 7 pm before the game.  If you can't watch MSG, it's also premiering on SabresTV on the website at 6:30 pm this evening.  Read about it here.

There was an article about Clint Malarchuk's accident that I mentioned yesterday in the TBN today; read that here.

Also in the TBN, as I mentioned early, was Nathan Paetsch modeling.  That's because, as I'm sure you've all heard, SabreStyle debuts today.  I have to call the Sabres Store and find out if it'll be out all day today, or if they're just putting it out for the game.  Because if it's the former, I'm going down there proto.  But anyways, Nathan and Adam look damn good in these pictures, although I'm partial to Danny on the website.

The Gusto today also highlights the best places to watch the game locally if you can't make it to the game:

-  Dave & Buster's, Eastern Hills Mall

-  Old Falls Sports Bar & Grill, 300 Third St, Niagara Falls

-  Buffalo Wild Wings, 2017 Elmwood Ave, 3035 Niagara Falls Blvd, or 5431 Transit Rd

-  Duff's, 3090 Orchard Park Rd, Orchard Park, or the Amherst location at Sheridan Dr. and Millersport Hwy

-  Tully's, 1459 Niagara Falls Blvd, or the location near the Eastern Hills Mall

-  The Warehouse, 4360 Milestrip Rd, Blasdell

-  Buffalo Sports Garden, 2945 Southwestern Blvd, Orchard Park

That's about all I can give you right now, because like I said, my brain is like this:

SABRESSABRESSABRESSABRESSABRES

so I really can't focus on doing anything.

I'm going to go shopping and hope for interesting Sabres news from some other people today, since I'm behaving like a kid would if it were Christmas Day but they had to wait until 7 pm to open their present.  NOT GOOD.

Go Sabres!!

Because I'm Totally Delusional

So here's a short post because, well, I should be studying for my Microbiology Test which I'm completely unprepared for. But, I happen to believe the health and welfare of my husband (fake obviously) Paul is far more important then anything remotely related to school. Because I'm going to be a nurse, I believe that it is my civic duty to do all that I can to make Paul better, waiting on him hand and foot, cooking him delicious meals, massaging his poor damaged thumb and altogether doing what a perfect little house wife would for my poor injured husband.

Although, for those of you who don't know me, I'm not a good cook because lets just say there was a small incident involving a box of macaroni and cheese, those poor noodles never had a chance. So the thought of me cooking anything that can't be popped in the microwave and zapped in under 10 minutes is downright laughable. The waiting on him hand and foot thing is entirely plausible, the massaging I can do because I've been told I give pretty good massages. However, the perfect little housewife thing I just can't do, I can't do it, don't give me frills and vacuums, give me scrubs and blood and I'll be happy.

As for Paul, just when we found a little bit of happiness, I was going to have him in my life for the next few years something horrible has to happen. So not only is Paul in a miserable mood because he can't play, he now can't even play video games, sorry Danny and Clarke, I know how much you were looking forward to your tournaments. So the best I can do for now is to nurse my poor Paul back to health as quickly as possible and hope that no damage has been done to our relationship because of this tragic accident.

Now I must focus my attention on the other love of my life Microbiology. Wish me luck...god knows I'm gonna need it.

I KNEW IT!!!!!!!

NO ONE can tell me that Tim Connolly isn't hurt anymore, BECAUSE HE IS!

I just KNEW he couldn't last a couple practices without hurting his delicate self.  Now, don't get me wrong; we all should know by now that I am positively in LOVE with Timothy (Michael?) Connolly.  I just think he's positively ridiculous...  Wait, just like me!

But anyways, I woke up at 1:00 pm today, after working from 3:30 pm Sunday afternoon til 7:00 am this morning (yuck)***.  I proceeded to immediately inform the household that no one is to occupy the shower at 2:00 pm because I absolutely NEED a shower before, wait for it, going back to work (double yuck)!  You might ask why would I want to work over 40 hours a week, every week, from now until early November?  Because Kim and I are going on quite possibly the most AMAZING road trip EVER!!!  We're driving from Kenmore all the way up to Mike Ryan's stomping grounds to stay with my Aunt for 5 days, during which we'll be taking in a Sabres/Bruins game, and booking it up to Portland to catch a Pirates game.

BUT BACK TO THE IMPORTANT STUFF:

I picked up the TBN almost immediately after I woke up, and could not stop laughing when I read this:

 Other than Adam Mair, who has missed the entire preseason with a knee injury, Connolly is the only player who didn't play in either weekend home game.  Connolly is nursing a sore back and was held out as a precaution.  Connolly did, however, practice at full speed both Saturday and Sunday, taking part in the session with the roughly 25 players not dressing for the game.  Ruff said he should play this week.  The Sabres return to action with a rematch Wednesday at Minnesota.

Why am I not surprised?  Oh...  Wait.  It's because Timmy is like a balled-up and pocketed tissue in the world of washing machines.  Lindy may as well re-institute the guidelines used last year when Tim sat out the practices and played every other game.  Or just sub him in on the power play, because that is obviously lacking in his absence.

Anywho, the Sabres lost.  Again.  Am I surprised, no.  Am I disappointed, sort of.  Over the years my parents have taught me not to get too attached emotionally to the Sabres.  I wish they really could've prevented me from doing so, because it ABSOLUTELY KILLS ME WHEN THEY LOSE.  But right now it's just the preseason, and the preseason is the preseason for a reason.  And anyways, it's never a sign of things to come.  I mean, a couple of seasons ago we were undefeated in the PS, and Adam Mair was our leading scorer, but we didn't win the cup, and Adam Mair is still roughing it on the fourth line.  Don't get me wrong, I want them to win.  But I'd rather they save their wins for October all the way through June.  I can live with a few loses now.

AND MY POOR DANNY AND PAUL!!!  I'll bet you anything that Dan shows up to practice showing off his big ol' bruise to everyone (and by everyone, I mean Clarke, Timmy K, Drew, and the other little ones), and is now becoming the God of Tough Guys in their eyes.  And how cute was Paul to step in for Adam as the guardian and risking his health in order to protect him???  Cue the big collective AWWWwwwww.  In all seriousness, they need to heal their bruised leg and jammed thumb, and get their asses back ASAP.

And can I just say how much I hate the love/hate relationship I have with shootouts?  I think they're incredibly exciting, I JUST HATE OVERTIME AND SHOOTOUTS.  They're just so...  Oh, I don't know the word, but I hate the fact that we can lose in a heartbeat, but I looooooove it when we win!!!  Like Saturday, it was a beautiful thing.  Last night, I wanted to throw my radio on the floor at work, but I figured that might make a bit too much noise and would wake my residents up.

Okay, well I'm going to go back to work now, so you can all have a nice evening, and I'll be spending my time NOT watching Gossip Girl and One Tree Hill, and instead I'll be earning money to go to Boston!

Oh, and by the way, this is going to seem extra ridiculous, but today is the one year anniversary of Tim Connolly smiling at me, and, looking me in the eye, telling me to "have a good one."  Swoon.  See, I don't get it.  His power over women is completely and entirely inexplicable.

Daniel Paille... Is Manly? What?

Yesterday, Kim and I observed that our dear Man-Child seemed a little more manly, and a little less childish.  (That is, if you ignore this picture.)

And the Buffalo News seems to confirm my story with their own piece on Danny.  It states that Dan beefed himself up this summer, that he can now puff his chest up, and that his shoulders buldge.  I mean, it's kinda hard to be that specific when he's in pads and all, but I'd have to say that John Vogl is right because he was noticeably different, if you get past the fact that he still makes stupid faces for the camera, which lack creativity.  Yeah, Dan, close your eyes and stick out your jaw and make yourself look a little less than mentally capable of playing go fish.  My little cousin can do that and he's 5.  Good ambition.  But I suppose your dreams of playing on the 2nd line with Jochen and Pommers could come true this year.  Just don't usurp the RAV line, which, by the way, was skating together yesterday!!

And in other news, a feel-good story from TBN:  Guardian angels step in to save a life.  Honestly, I love Sabres fans for this reason.  Well, okay, these guys could have been Leafs fans, but whatever.  They saved the guy's life.  And from the standpoint of someone studying medicine in some capacity, I love stories like this.  When my mom was reading this story to me this morning, I was half expecting her to say it was a Sabre that saved him.  Can you imagine Timmy doing CPR on someone?  Because I can't...  That is, unless it's a chick and he's about to get laid.

But if you come to Buffalo you'd better be nice.  I do remember one nice Leafs fan...  Well, he was drunk, so who really knows if he was nice, but for all intensive purposes, he was.  I was about 10 years old, I think, at the HSBC Arena, enjoying yet another Sabres/Leafs game, and this old TO fan was sitting in front of us wearing an old Tim Horton Sabres jersey (I haven't a clue either).  During intermission he went to the Sabres Store and spent well over $200 on merch, and proceeded to hand it all out (mostly hats and pucks) to the kids all around him.  I received a hat, which I believe I still have around here somewhere...

I'll post more about today's practice later.

Summer vacations, rooming with Royzie, and Invisible Children

When I opened my mailbox Tuesday evening, I was excited to find my new issue of The Hockey News, for some unknown reason...  Oh, wait, TRAINING CAMP STARTS FRIDAAAAYYYY!!  Anyways, the individual team reports were focused on the summer vacations of players, coaches, whomever.  Let us read:

Atlanta:  "Garnet Exelby ate black ink octopus risotto and he's got the photo to prove it."

My question?  Who the hell cares?

Boston:  "...[Zdeno] Chara traveled to Africa this summer, visiting Mozambique before hiking 18,650 feet up Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania." 

My question?  Why would you subject yourself to such torture?  I mean, come on, you're already practically that tall, but go for it man.  All the more power to ya.

Buffalo:  "The Sabres coach [Lindy Ruff] got a chance to caddy on the PGA tour for longtime friend and golf professional Dudley Hart."

My question?  Did he get paid?  And did he supply Dudley with a Happy Gilmour-esque putter, much like Derek Roy used recently?  (I would post the picture, but I can't find it)

Dallas:  "Sean Avery spent hours pondering the outfit he would wear to his Dallas Stars introduction press conference in August and settled on an unstructured suit of madras plaid with short pants and red leather dress shoes."

My question?  Yes, I will admit that I am envious of him because he had an internship with Men's Vogue magazine, but what the hell did he do to deserve this internship, and how the hell can someone like him still play hockey when he admitted that he doesn't really watch any other sport or ANY OTHER HOCKEY GAME???  Nothing, and I have no idea.  Is he ridiculous?  Borderline homosexual?  I definitely think so.

Florida:  "[Tanner] Glass was afforded a rare opportunity of a different sort when he visited his girlfriend in eastern Africa, where she was working as a nurse for an HIV/AIDS awareness organization called Project Soccer."

My question?  Okay, so I know Kim and I used to make fun of you when we went to Amerks games because you're actually really good looking, but you have terrible hands, but who the hell knew you were such a sweetheart?  Major props because your girlfriend is a good person.

St. Louis:  "[Cam] Janssen and his friends that the boat to the Meramec and Mississippi rivers in Missouri.  They often go exploring in the woods.  'One time, we found a cave,' Janssen said.  'There was a sleeping bag in there and a fire still burning.  We found the guy on a sandbar.  He looked like Charles Manson.  We asked him if he was alright and he just walked back into the woods."

My question?  If he looks like Charles Manson, and he's living in some remote cave in a wooded area off of a large river, WHY THE HELL DID YOU TALK TO HIM AND PRACTICALLY INVITE HIM ONTO YOUR BOAT?!?  Are you absolutely insane?  You're just asking to end up the victim of a serial killer.

San Jose:  "In August, [Jeremy] Roenick bolstered his acting resume with a role in Leverage, a new TNT TV series...  Roenick said he has friends in the industry, one of whom 'casts me in as many things as he can because he wants me to be an actor when I'm done playing hockey."

My question?  Am I being a bit far-fetched when I go out on a limb and say I don't think JR will have too great of a career in acting?  I'm not too sure, so I guess I'll have to watch Leverage.

Those were the highlights.  There were a lot of weddings mentioned, but no one of great importance or interest.  Vinny Lecavalier rehabed, as did many others (no riding camels for him this off-season), and there were a lot of baseball-related activities.  Mark Bell served his community service by picking up garbage and doing landscaping.  Meanwhile, I had a relatively uneventful summer; I didn't go anywhere further than Rochester or Toronto, and didn't really do anything fun, unless work falls under that category, and last time I checked, it definitely did not.

And there was a small interview with Drew Stafford; in it he mentioned that he has roomed with Clarke MacArthur and Daniel Paille, who, by the way, are both "great, but Derek Roy?  It was all about him."  Damn straight, it's all about him.  And can I just say how envious I am of Drew???  Well, I'm about as envious as one can get, times infinity.  And then he had to throw in a shameless plug for Invisible Children's CD (WHICH IS FINALLY OUT!), called "Pralien."  He considers it the best album of all time.  Click here for more info.

SIGHTING!!!  Mike Comrie (gag) and Hilary Duff were spotted at the Yankees/White Sox game last night, looking all (and by all, I mean not at all) cute.

And there was something else, but in my furious studies of sociology, anatomy, and nutrition, I seem to only be able to think of medical ailments.  How depressing, considering that fact that I don't think I mentioned training camp, WHICH STARTS FRIDAY!!  Oh, wait, my bad.  That was the first thing I said.  I just wanted to be sure you didn't forget.  =]