Peck-Bad Boy

Is it--- is it safe to blog again? Has everyone calmed down? I've deliberately waited a few days before resuming my regular blogging on the News 4 website, to let my colleague, Paul Peck, soak up the love from the bloggers. Paul's blog on Sunday, wondering whether a Buffalo Bandits win in this week's National Lacrosse League title game would constitute "a real championship," set off a torrent of vitriol and disagreement. Most of them were bona fide Bandits fans who wrote to defend their favorite team. More on some of the others in a moment.
I don't think anyone would argue that a Bandits victory in this week's Champions Cup Final would overshadow a Super Bowl win by the Bills, or a Stanley Cup for the Sabres, when it comes to national interest or media coverage. But that's not the point.
A Bandits victory this weekend would certainly be "real" to their loyal, passionate fans who love the sport. Buffalo has been long established as a flagship franchise in indoor lacrosse and a hotbed for the sport (indoors and outdoors) at almost every level. A Buffalo championship would be just as real as Niagara's basketball team capturing the MAAC Championship two years ago, or UB's womens tennis team winning the MAC title a couple of weeks ago.
One of the great things about covering sports in Western New York is the wide variety of teams and sports we get to follow. Like many of our media colleagues in town, we do the best we can to cover high school, college, and professional sports given the constaints of time and resources.
I know some of the most memorable moments I've had in recent years came while covering the Niagara Purple Eagles in the NCAA Tournament two years ago; their victory in the play-in game in Dayton, followed by a first round loss to Kansas in Chicago. The Purple Eagles were certainly "real" champions, and their fans savored their appearance in "the big time." Longtime Niagara basketball fans soaked up the championship atmosphere and celebrated the fact that their favorite team in their favorite sport had qualified for the Tournament.
By that measure, the Bandits potential championship is more than real. The indoor lacrosse team regularly draws more than several thousand more fans to its' home games than Niagara basketball does.
What makes any championship, or any fan experience 'real" is not so much the attendance, or TV ratings, or position in the USA Sports Section. I think it becomes real when the fans identify with the sport, the team, and the players, and adopt them as their own. I've seen it happen with college basketball teams, high school football teams, even NLL lacrosse teams.
Just one word on the tenor of some of the responses to Paul's initial commentary. Most were fine, and it's certainly acceptable to argue and debate--we actually encourage that. But personal attacks and insults do nothing to elevate the discussion, and in fact, I think they diminish the good blogs and the good points some others make in their commentary. Let's fight the temptation to use the anonymity of the internet to hurl drive-by slams at each other (especially Paul). If you just have to comment on someone's parentage, appearance, educational background, or job qualifications, take it to another website.
Blog-on Buffalo.

St. Francis Grad in Spygate Scandal

A St. Francis High School grad is now the latest name in the Patriots Spygate scandal. Brian Daboll is currently the quarterbacks coach of the Jets, but from 2000-2006 he was an assistant with the Patriots. Its been revealed that video assistant Matt Walsh relayed information to Daboll about the Rams walk-through before Super Bowl XXXVI. Now, the league wants to re-interview Daboll because that information contradicts what he told them previously. While Walsh denies there is a videotape of the walk-through, he was in the stadium watching the Rams workout. Afterward, he was asked by Daboll what he saw. Walsh relayed information about kickoff returns and tight end motion on offense.

How angry are you about this entire Spygate scandal? Is the Patriots success tainted? Is this just another reason for Bills fans to hate the Patriots?

Bandits-Real Champions?

The Buffalo Bandits will play for the National Lacrosse League championship on Saturday night at the Arena. They will play Portland, a team with a losing record.
The Bandits have already won three titles, but none since 1996. If they win, will it be a "real" championship for Buffalo?
I don't think so. I enjoy the game, like covering the guys and appreciate the enthusiasm of the fans. But its not a traditional sport, and it shouldn't be considered a championship for this title-starved town. Only a hockey or football victory would count in my book. In the big picture of sports, lacrosse is a minor player. Bigger here than most places, but still minor. It has no national following, no national TV and no nationally-recognized stars. It's a niche sport, big in the few regions of North America that follow lacrosse.
Now I know the Bandits fans will disagree, and I expect plenty of angry posts. This doesn't mean I don't enjoy the sport, and we will cover the title game as extensively as possible.
Convince me I'm wrong. Tell me why there should be a parade and a rally in Niagara Square, and why kids all over town should be wearing Mark Steenhuis (above, left) and John Tavares jerseys.

Bandits Fans Rock the House

Saturday night, more than 10,000 fans will file into the HSBC Arena for the Bandits playoff game against New York. I'm always amazed at the crowds that are drawn to Bandits games. I know that this is a big area for lacrosse, and I know that the team draws heavily from the area's Native American population. But when you realize that the team averaged over 14,000 fans a game, it still stuns and suprises me. That's more than some NHL, NBA and MLB teams. The game is great, the team is always good, and the atmosphere is fantastic. But lacrosse is a still a niche sport, ignored by many traditional sports fans. Not only are the crowds big, but their loud and fanatical. Trust me, I've gotten a few e-mails and phone calls from angry Bandits fans demanding more coverage. They'll get it, especially if the team advances to the title game. The Bandits will be our lead story at 6 and 11 Saturday, as they have at other points this week.
Why do you go? Why do you love the games so much? What is it about the sport/atmosphere that attracts so many people? Let me know. Post a comment.

Big Night for the Kats

I had the honor of emceeing the Erie Community College Athletic Hall of Fame event Thursday night, with three new members going into the Hall. Former ECC basketball coach John Beilein (right) made it to the hall. His college coaching career began at ECC in 1978. Longtime ECC Athletic Director Ralph Galanti, and his longtime assistant, Santo DeSain, were also inducted. Beilein has become a national figure in college basketball, after NCAA Tournament appearances with West Virginia. He just finished his first year as the Head Coach of the Michigan Wolverines. And he talked to us extensively about getting his start at ECC thirty years ago.
"These are the people, Ralph and Santo, who gave me my start in college. I always wanted to be a college coach. This move was just as important as any other career move I've made," Beilein told us.
"I know there are things I learned at ECC, on and off the court, that help us win games at Michigan right now."
It was a great night for Beilein, and the other two inductees. Ralph Galanti was at the helm of the ECC Athletic Department for thirty years, and also coached the hockey team. He was instrumental in establishing ECC's high profile junior college football program. Santo DeSain was not only was an athletic administrator, but a highly succesful womens basketball and softball coach. His softball teams won national junior college championships in the early 1980s. It was a great night for three deserving inductees.

Detriot leads Dallas 1-0

The Red Wings are being fueled by last years demise in the Western Conference Finals in which they collapsed to Anaheim. Last night, the Wings won their 7th straight game as they beat the Stars 4-1. The key was Detroit's power play which converted on 3 of their first 5 attempts with a man advantage.

The Stars looked a bit sluggish after eliminated San Jose earlier in the week. As long as Chris Osgood continues to play well in goal for Detroit they should be able to beat Dallas in this series, but it may be a long one.

Game two is on Saturday night at 7pm.

Patriots are Cheaters

The NFL says it's not new, but it's new to us. Word that former Patriots employee Matt Walsh has turned over eight new tapes to the league, showing the Patriots stealing opponents signals, means there's new evidence publicly that New England was cheating. The Bills were one of the teams that had their signals stolen. The Bills game at Foxboro, November 11th, 2001, was on one of the eight tapes Walsh turned in. The Patriots theoretically used those signals the next time the two teams played, five weeks later, in Orchard Park. New England won that second game in overtime, and went on to win 12 of the next 13-games between the teams. Did the stolen signals account for the Patriots victories? Obviously they're not the only reason. But we may never know what sort of advantage the Patriots got from their stolen signals. We know this--the Patriots stole signals from the Bills, the Jets, and the Dolphins in their first meeting with each club in the 2001 season. They went on to win the rematch against every one of those division rivals. And of course, the 2001 season was the first of New England's three Super Bowl Championships over a four year span.
No question, the 2001 Bills were bad (3-13) and New England may not have needed much help to beat them twice. But they cheated, to get an advantage. And they went on to use that advantage and others to win a championship. The league says "the tapes are consistent with the findings of our prior investigation." That means they probably feel like the fines and loss of a draft pick imposed earlier this year will be punishment enough. But it may not be enough.
I think the NFL should look at some sort of suspension for Head Coach Bill Belichick, in addition to the $500,000 fine imposed on him already. He's the mastermind behind the New England Super Bowl run. He controls virtually every aspect of the Patriots football operations. And he should be held responsible for this breach of league policy, and unsportsmanlike practice.

Maybe this Toronto Thing Will Work

A couple of news items today on the Buffalo Bills, that may indicate that moving one regular season game to Toronto might not be such a bad idea. First of all, the news that the Bills are approaching the 50,000 mark in season tickets sold for the 2008 campaign is great. There are a variety of reasons for the high season ticket count--most importantly the fact that Western New York has a long-standing love affair with the Bills and the NFL. In addition, the team seems to be on the upswing, and the season ticket prices are a little cheaper this year. Moving one preseason game, and one late-season game to Toronto, elminates two of the tougher selling games on the schedule. I know, it's Miami, but it's also December, and it's the worst opponent on your schedule. And season ticket holders have complained for years about being "forced" to buy two home preseason games each year, now they're down to one.
The other news item involves the pricing of the tickets in Toronto. The Bills eight-game series at the Rogers Centre will aveage $183 per seat, more than three times the average cost at Ralph Wilson Stadium. It remains to be seen whether Canadian Bills fans will cough up that kind of money for more than one game per season. But during this five year, eight-game Toronto initiative, we can let the novelty of Bills football in Toronto help subsidize the team in Buffalo. That doesn't even include the opportuniity for corporate sponsorships in Toroonto that might further cement the Bills future in Western New York. Let's see how this all plays out. Moving one game to Toronto might do exactly what the Bills want it to do--solidify the team's financial status in Buffalo.

Sabres sign Nathan Gerbe

The Sabres signed forward, Nathan Gerbe to a 3 year contract today. The Boston College Junior will leave school early and try to make the Sabres roster this fall. Gerbe, who claims he's 5 foot 5 may be a little shorter than that.. but it's never stopped him from being successful up to this point. He helped to lead BC to a National Title this season, where he was the M.V.P, he was also a finalist for the Hobey Baker. Lindy Ruff told Darcy Regier that once you're under 5'10, it doesn't matter anymore. It will be interesting to see if his size becomes a factor in the league. He appears to be just what the Sabres need, and although he is young.. I do anticipate he will start in Buffalo and not the A.H.L..

Let's Not Overreact

It's fodder for blogs and talk shows all over America today, the horrible death of the filly, Eight Belles, after Saturday's Kentucky Derby. As expected, the PETA crowd has gone ballistic, somehow reasoning that jockey Gabriel Saez knew the horse was injured during the race, and was the reason Eight Belles broke both ankles. Preopsterous. No professional jockey would jeopardize his or his mount's health to that extent. Unfortunately, there's no early warning system for broken bones and ankles in horse racing.
There is a case to be made to look into the breeding of these thoroughbreds, to see if they simply are bred too much for speed, and not enough for stamina and endurance. You have to wonder whether a filly belongs in a race with 19-other talented colts, running as hard as she can for a mile and a quarter--maybe the chances for a breakdown increase for these 3-year olds as they run longer distances.
With the increased popularity of synthetic surfaces, there's also research to be done on those tracks compared to the traditional dirt tracks, and the transition the horses have to make from surface to surface.
But in no way should Saturday's tragedy call into question the sport of throroughbred racing or its future. The latest figures show that there's 1.6 fatalities for every 1,000 horses that start a thoroughbred race. There is risk of death and serious injury in several other sports, including risks to humans, which is much more serious than the risk posed to horses. The people who run racing know that fatalaties like Eight Belles demand a throrough investigation into safety and breeding issues, and I'm confident they will demand a higher standard in the future.

It's the Penguins time!

I would have never picked the Penguins at the start of the playoffs, as I have often felt that Marc-Andre Fleury wasn't ready or capable of performing well enough for Pittsburgh to get to the Cup. He has proven me wrong. He's 8 and 1 this post season with 16 goals against. Fleury has been the best goalie so far in the playoffs, and it has been the difference. He has a .938 save percentage, and 1.76 goals against average. If Fleury continues to play this well, they will have no problem getting past the Flyers. Game 1 is Friday night, and I'm picking the Pens 4 games to 2 over the Flyers to win the series.

Cheektowaga's Burton Signs with Bengals

Cheektowaga native Antwon Burton has signed with the Cincinnati Bengals. The Cleveland Hill HS grad took part in a tryout this weekend, then was signed on Sunday. Burton spent the last two years shuttling between the roster and the practice squad of the Denver Broncos. Antwon's played in 7 NFL games. He was originally an undrafted free agent from Temple.

Overtime Hockey Hangover

I'm a little groggy today. I stayed up until 2:28am watching the Stars beat the Sharks in the 4th overtime. I just couldn't turn it off. My wife kept yelling at me to turn it off, but I couldn't. There's nothing like a long, elimination overtime game. There were great saves, great chances and lots of drama in the five hour and 14 minute game, the 8th longest in NHL playoff history.
The game was decided when Brian Campbell was called for tripping in the 4th OT. That lead to Brendan Morrow's deciding goal. It ruined an otherwise brilliant night for the former Sabres defenseman. Campbell played 68 shifts and over 56 minutes of ice time.
The Stars advance to play the Red Wings in the Western Conference Finals. I advance to an early bed time tonight.

Did you stay up until the end of the game? Do you have any good late night, overtime game stories? Let us know. Post your comment.

Bills Cornerback Position

Dick Jauron had some interesting comments about the cornerback position. They came during his wrap-up news conference following the rookie minicamp. Asked whether it was an accident or coincidence that the team drafted 3 corners, Jauron said it was by design. The plan was actually in place when free agency started. The team wanted to sign one veteran corner and draft at least two and sign one college free agent. They signed William James from the Eagles, and drafted Leodis McKelvin (1st round), Reggie Corner (4th round) and Kennard Cox (7th round.) Jauron said drafting Cox happened because they like him and didn't expect he'd be available.
At the end of last season, because of injuries, the Bills played the final few games with only 4 healthy corners, including Dustin Fox. Now, they have Terrence McGee, Jabari Greer, Ashton Youboty, Fox, James and the three rookies. Greer and McKelvin will battle for the starting spot opposite of McGee. James and Corner will battle for the nickel/dime spot. Youboty would appear to be seriously on the bubble after two disappointing seasons. Despite being a 3rd round draft pick in 2006, the NFL does wait very long. Youboty will have to beat out Corner or James to remain on the roster.

Griffs Lacrosse NCAA-Bound

The Canisius College mens lacrosse team is headed to the NCAA tournament for the first time in school history. They won the MAAC title with a 14-5 win over VMI in Albany. Adam Jones scored 4 goals, Grand Island's Mike Blocho scored three. The win comes with an automatic berth to the tournament.

The Griffs learned Sunday night that they will play Syracuse. The Orange are the third seed in the 16 team tournament. The game is Sunday night at the Carrier Dome. It will be broadcast live on ESPNU.

The Griffs are coached by former Bandits player Randy Mearns.