a lot to catch up on

Okay, so I believe I owe you a post...

I think it's safe to say that this weekend wasn't everything I had hoped it would be. Don't get me wrong; finding out Derek answered my question, seeing the Pirates win, following Paul, and having Drew sign my subway ticket were fantastic, but a Sabres win and some nicer weather would have made it alllllll better. I'm not complaining, though. I'd live in Boston if I could.

It's kinda hard to tell, because he signed in a very fine pen,
but that's Drew's signature. ON MY SUBWAY TICKET.
Hey, at least I acknowledged that it was lame,
but he found it funny, so I guess it's alright.

I'm not going to talk about the game much, because it upsets me. So we'll talk about things at the game.

(0) This wasn't really at the game, but on the T up to Boston from Norwell, we met six Sabres/Bills fans. It was awesome. They had some balls, too, because they were mostly dressed in Buffalo sports attire. Boston is not the city where I would do that, nor is Toronto, Montreal, Edmonton, or Ottawa. Back to the point. Honestly, I don't think we went anywhere in the city on Saturday without seeing the Blue and Gold or the Blue and Red.

(1) Kim was afraid to wear her jersey, so she zipped up her North Face to her throat, and tucked the jersey into the bottom of it. I called her a wuss, and she took it off. So we got dirty, nasty, downright maniacal looks from some of their fans, but let's face it: Which team is better? Exactly.

(2) As we were waiting to go up into the lobby from the train station area of TD Northbank Garden (the arena is on top of North Station, kinda like Madison Square Garden), I saw a group of five guys walk in, one of them in a Golden Gophers Vanek jersey. I looked a little bit closer at the group, poked Kim, and said, "Hey, isn't that Pete and Corey?" She says, "Pete and Corey?" I say, "Yeah, we went to high school with them." Turns out they were Pete and Corey, my German classmate and school's star goalie, respectively. SMALL WORLD? Yeah, I thought so.

(3) These same guys start chanting once we reached the lobby, before going into the actual hallways of the arena. We were all doing the classic Bills' "Let's Go Buffalo" one, and it got damn loud in there. It was really fun, because the Bruins fans weren't even attempting to counter us.

(4) MJ was right... Those pictures around the arena almost make me want to be a Bruins fan... I SAID ALMOST. Don't judge me.

(5) The warmups were fantastic. I've never bothered to go down to the glass and take pictures during warmups, and I have no idea why, because that was stupid. And right now I'm too lazy to put all of my picture from Portland and Boston up on Webshots, but they're on Facebook, so look at them there if we're friends. Or, click the city right here and you can go to them. I'll get Kim's up here somehow, eventually... Oh, and don't judge us based on our stupid-face pictures. We can be extremely immature sometimes, but overall, we're very mature people, believe it or not. =]

(6) Only one Bruins fan really said anything to us, and it was nice. I was kind of disappointed. There's nothing I love more than trash-talking other teams to their fans. It's so exhilarating. This guy only tapped me on the shoulder, asked if we were from Buffalo, and if we had driven up just for the game. How boring and reserved.

(7) This guy's wife, when a Paris Hilton wannabe came strutting down the steps in her thigh-high stiletto boots and sleeveless cotton dress, leaned forward and said to Kim and I, "WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!" Honestly, since she and her boyfriend were in the front row, the three of us were in shock. I kid you not, not even five minutes later, she was wearing his hoodie. Ridiculous. Why do you dress like that if you know you're going to a hockey game? In Boston, in November? Wow. Just, wow.

(8) Have I ever mentioned that I love Boston accents? Well I do. So when the drunk guys a couple rows in front of us decided to start chanting "Miller," they were, in actuality, saying "Millah." Kim and I were waiting for one of them to drop down to their knees and just scream out "STELLA!" instead. We needed to find something amusing about that game after Connolly had scored and Kaleta attempted to take on Chara. Yikes...

(9) There were really belligerent and drunk Bruins fans on the train back to my aunt's house, so I told Kim that we could be wusses now, and then we tucked our jerseys in and zipped our North Faces up to our throats. It was really hot on that train, too, and since my aunt is the last stop, and they were going to the last stop, I almost died. I don't do well with excessive heat when wearing Uggs, a long sleeve shirt, a hockey jersey, and a fleece jacket. No thank you.

(10) Oh, and then my aunt yelled at us because we didn't get Paul's autograph and/or picture. Well, the only way we could've done that, without invading his personal space, would have been to jump out at him, and I have a feeling it would've gone down kinda like this.

Well, I guess that's all I can think of right now in regards to our little trip to Boston. Although, my aunt has expressed our welcomed return, so I have a feeling we'll be up for Round Two next season. BUT, Kim and I were discussing it on the drive home, and we think it would be quite fun to get a room at the Ritz, despite the outrageous price tag, just so we can hit up the bar there while the boys are there. And hotels.com does give quite the discount, so it's a definite possibility. Anybody in??

Oh, and I thoroughly enjoyed this article. At least someone's willing to admit that they were wrong and the Sabres should have been much higher on the end-of-season rankings than 11th.

Also, whatever happened to the doubleheaders they always used to have on Versus, Monday and Tuesday nights? Why is it that they aren't starting up again until the second-last week of the season? They always used to get me through the Mondays and Tuesdays that the Sabres didn't play and my shows weren't on. But now, since the hold-out between Time Warner and Channel 4 and The CW basically made me miss a good deal of my shows for a couple weeks, I'm so far behind with no chance of getting caught up, so now I only have one game to watch for the next two nights. How boring.

I think that's pretty much it. I'll post later if something interesting surfaces...

The Sabres Are My Life.

I actually have a chance to post about something...  I'm at work, on the clock, on my MacBook.  I'm doing what we call a One-on-One with a lady, but she's napping at the moment, so I'm taking my chance.

Amidst all the searching for positive Sabres news this morning, and the depressing news I found instead during that search (*cough, cough* Paul Gaustad), I did however, find a piece that made me all warm-and-fuzzy feeling.

While scouring the blogs and columns at THN, I found this one by Ryan Kennedy:  The Straight Edge:  Hockey More Than a Pasttime For Fans in Some Struggling Cities.

I don't get super offended when I hear players from different teams trashing Buffalo (i.e. Ray Emery) or expect much different from players who just got moved here (i.e. Craig Rivet), because what do they see when they come here?  (Actually, who am I kidding?  Of course I get offended, but if you redeem yourself, like Rivet has, then I can be very forgiving.)  They take the 33 from the airport through probably one of Buffalo's worst areas, and see the dirty buildings downtown in the industrial area, and the run-down-ness of it Buffalo, in all of it's supposed un-glory.  And what do they ever hear about Buffalo?  That the economy sucks, and that there's crime, and the only weather we have involves seven feet of snow.

Well you know what?  Don't trash it 'til you've lived it.  I love Buffalo.  There, I said it, and I'm not ashamed to admit it.  Honestly, I can't imagine living anywhere else...  Except for maybe Boston.  I love it there, too, but that's besides the point.

And you know what else?  Every single guy who has played here has loved it here, except for maybe Slava Kozlov and Miro Satan, but who cares about them?  Not this girl.

Anyways, I just really appreciated this article because it truly does say something about a team when they get over 10,000 people standing outside the arena to watch a playoff game, and every single bar or restaurant that has a TV is packed.  And don't forget the house parties that get well over 5,000 people, and sometimes reaching 10,000 to watch away games, or the Party in the Plaza they threw in the middle of winter now two seasons ago, which I think 4,000 freezing fans attended.

This city has spirit.  It may not show in the economy, and it may not show in the scenery on the 33, but take a look at the people who live here.  I cannot go one day without seeing someone wearing a Bills or Sabres shirt, and I cannot even begin to count how many cars have either teams decal, sticker, magnet, flag, or whatever on it.  (My car's blue, and I've got the decal, the license plate frame, and blue, gold, and silver Mardi Gras beads hanging from my mirror.  Check that shit.)

It's pretty amazing that, even realizing how difficult life can be here, it's pretty special that we've got such a great group of guys playing their hearts out, FOR US.  I mean, come on, Brian Effing Campbell was in tears because he didn't want to leave.  Jay McKee, Marty Biron, and countless others still live here.  Scotty Bowman (who works for the Red Wings) and Ron McLean (of Hockey Night In Canada) both live in the area, so it can't be THAT bad.  The Sabres come out, night after night, and perform for us, to give us something to distract ourselves from our mundane lives, to give us something to believe in, and something to hope for.

And I think it speaks volumes when Ryan Miller, Jason Pominville, Derek Roy, Paul Gaustad, Teppo Numminen, Daniel Paille, Thomas Vanek (by default), Jochen Hecht, and the like sign for many years to stay in this area, to play for us.  And they, and those who've left, consistently say that the best fans can be found in this city.

You don't get teams or fans like this anywhere else.  I'd bet my life on it.  And I'd win.

POOR PAUL, and Some Write Believes in the Sabres!!! Sort of...

The Sabres just texted me and told me that Paully, after fighting for Danny's honor, had to have surjury on his thumb and will now be out for about a month.  You know, Paul, I love you, but sometimes, you just need to take out your anger on the country's energy consumption and lack of recycling skills by scoring, not beating this shit out of people, because then you hurt yourself.

Oh, and more cuts have been made.  Read about it all here.

So I've spent the last hour scouring my favorite hockey sites for some decent information to write about, seeing as I probably won't be entering anything until either tomorrow night around 11:45 when I get home from work, or Thursday morning.

I stumbled upon the column of Mr. Adam Porteau over at The Hockey News, where SOMEONE FINALLY THINKS THE SABRES WILL MAKE THE PLAYOFFS!!!  Granted, he puts us at 8th in the East, BUT STILL.

Always-Look-On-The-Bright-Side Adam Says:  The Sabres finished four points out of the 2008 playoffs, thanks in part to a lukewarm showing by goalie Ryan Miller, as well as off-years from Maxim Afinogenov and Tim Connolly, both of whom are playing in the final year of their contracts.  All it should take is a better performance from one or more of those three, plus tighter play from their blueliners, and Buffalo should be back on the playoff scene.

Well, I'm not so sure about his comments about Miller (Adam, I'd like to see you play 72 NHL games, 60 minutes EACH game, and do half as good), but about Max and Tim?  Could not agree more.  Connolly just needs to get his ass off of the bar floor.  More on that later.

Always-Assume-The-Worst Adam Says:  About that defense--not quite the second coming of the 1978-79 Montreal Canadiens, are they?  Also troubling, considering some of the Sabres' more recent salary-related departures, is the prospect of losing another top talent to the annual summer bidding wars.  For that reason, Afinogenov or Connolly could be dealt midway through the year, adding another potentially sorry chapter to a book Buffalonians have grown weary with.

Nothing new here.  I've been saying all this for three years now.  In our two recent deep playoff pushes, our defense has come up lacking purely due to injuries (i.e. Jay McKee in 2006).  But whatever.  Let's just hope Teppo doesn't drop dead on the ice, and Rivet doesn't shoot the puck over the glass to give whoever the go-ahead goal.

And Mr. Sam McCaig of THN predicts this 2008 Sabres' MVP:

Two seasons ago, Maxim Afinogenov burst out of the gates and had people making Pavel Bure comparisons.  Last year... not so much, after he scored just 10 goals in 56 games.  He's no Bure, but Afinogenov is much better than last season's debacle.

Well, Adam, I think you and Sam need to have a little chat, eh?

Now, on the subject of the gross human being, Tim Connolly.  Lovely reader GG informed me this morning of Timmy's bar-hopping-with-a-"sore-back" adventures.  She said he was seen Sunday at the Snooty Fox on Delaware Avenue, slamming shots until 4 am, and at one point, being sprawled out on the bar floor.  Now Tim, if one has a sore back, I've heard it could be helped by sleeping on a dining room table, or on a board, or, in fact, on the floor.  NEVER DID I HEAR THIS RECOMMENDED TO BE ON A BARROOM FLOOR.  Honestly, I don't think Tim has any respect for himself.  I mean, otherwise, how could be do that, and wear shiny shirts out in public if he's not an Elvis impersonator?

Right now I feel like I have to share with all of you one of Tim's flaws in my eyes.  He for some reason, reminds me of an actor that I really cannot stand.  Now, I love Will Farrel's movies, but for some reason, every single character he portrays reminds me of TC.  I don't get it, but I honestly feel like Tim is a party-hard, couldn't give a damn about anything else, frat boy, who has no interest in getting a job, no interest in taking care of himself, and no interest in developing a true relationship.  If someone can say they feel that I am wrong, please, by all means, tell me.  I love to argue, so bring it on.  And even then, he'll still be the typical life-long bachelor.  The guy says the person he admires and would like to meet most is Hugh Hefner.  I mean, can anyone see Timmy getting married?  I can't, that is, not unless it's to one of Hugh's girls.

This topic is just depressing me.  On to much nicer guys, MJ's been informed, so I feel it's okay to pass the news on to you; Mr. Wonderful Mike Ryan is doing quite well, it seems, in Nashville's camp.

And there was a nice article about Sparky-Clarkey in the TBN today.  He's so cute.  Like I said, if he doesn't clear waivers, I'll pretty much die.

Alright, I'm off to school for an anatomy exam which I did not study for.  I'll be okay, though.  In high school, I took Honors Biology, Advanced Placement Biology, and the Anatomy and Physiology elective.  I'm good.  And then it's off to work.  So enjoy your day, as I obviously won't, and oh wait!  To top it off, it's raining.  And there isn't even a Sabres game tonight.  Damn.  At least House is on.  I'll post something tomorrow, maybe...