Bronze Medal for WNY

The USA National Sled Hockey team won the bronze medal at the World Championships in Massachusetts. That team includes five Western New Yorkers. Grand Island's Alexi Salamone had two goals in the bronze medal clinching 3-1 win over Japan.
The team is captained by Chris Manns of North Tonawanda. He and Salamone were the USA's leading scorers. Also on the team: Goalie Mike Blabac from Buffalo, Forward Brad Emmerson from Amherst and forward Adam Page from Lancaster. All play for the locally based Buffalo Sabres Sled Hockey team.

Anticipating Kelly Workout

No question the Buffalo Bills and their fans will be watching closely next week, when Oklahoma WR Malcolm Kelly works out for NFL scouts. Kelly is listed on many projected drafts as the best fit for Buffalo. His measurables are great--6-4, 224 lbs. He has the size and productivity the Bills are looking for at the position. But he hasn't been able to work out for scouts yet, because of a thigh injury suffered in January. His last time in the forty yard dash is 4.54, and the Bills and other NFL teams would like to clock him themselves, to see if he can improve that time. Kelly will work out at Oklahoma next Wednesday, April 2nd. Sometime after that, the Bills brain trust will no doubt take another long look at his resume, and decide if it's worth using the 11th overall pick in the draft on him. But next week's workout is key.

Bowling Hall of Famers

Congratulations to the four men elected this week to the Greater Buffalo USBC Bowling Hall of Fame. My News 4 colleague, Paul Peck, and myself were happy to serve on the election committee. The four to be inducted this year:
Mike Faliero of West Seneca -A two time George Obenauer Masters Champion
Gary Kinyon of Lockport -1989 NYS Tournament Scratch All Events Champion
James Zebehazy in the Meritorious Service category. A long time Director of the Buffalo Bowling Association and former Executive Director of the Young American Bowling Alliance
Michael Nagy of Depew in the Veterans category. He won the handicap single title of the Greater Buffalo USBC tournament last year, at the age of 80.

The four new members will be inducted into the Greater Buffalo Bowling Association Hall of Fame on November 28th, at Samuel's Grande Manor.

Sabres Free Agents

The Sabres have some work ahead of them this summer. Their unrestricted list includes: defenseman: Nolan Pratt, and Dmitri Kalinin. 4th line forward, Michael Ryan is also unrestricted. The restricted group is forwards: Steve Bernier, Paul Gaustad, and Danny Paille. The real work will be trying to lock up Ryan Miller after July 1st. He'll be unrestricted next season, along with Max Afinogenov, Tim Connolly, Jaroslav Spacek, Ales Kotalik, and Adrew Peters. Let's see if the Sabres management can mess this one up. You may not be too excited at the season Miller had, but the reality is that he is a top 10 goalie in this league. He will get better (if their defenseman get better), and they will have to pay him big bucks to stick around. He made 2.5 million this year, and will make 3.5 next season. He'll likely get around 5 or 6 million a season from Buffalo if he decides to sign. I would think the management in Detroit has Miller on their radar. He's from Michigan, and they'll need someone to replace Dominik Hasek when he retires. Their back-up is Chris Osgood who spilt the season in goal with Hasek this season. The Red Wings are committed to winning. Are the Sabres? We'll find out as we watch to see how they address their free agent situation this summer.

What went wrong for the Sabres

As a fan, it was easy to hope for the 8th and final playoff spot even if it meant a quick 1st round exit. When you really look at this year's Sabres team, you can point to a number of reasons they didn't make the playoffs. I'm picking the defenseman. The #1 reason the Sabres couldn't get to the Stanley Cup last season was because they were not good enough defensively. They did nothing to change that in the off season. With Teppo out (and I realize they didn't expect this until right before training camp), Nathan Paetsch made the line-up as the 7th "D". I'm fine with him there. Toni Lydman and Henrik Tallinder have been absolutely horrible this season (I'm hoping it was just an off year). Spacek and Campbell proved to be the best pair, and then they were forced to trade away Campbell. Dmitri Kalinin has been horrible for most of his career, with the exception of the start of the '06 playoffs. Then you add a very average stay at home defenseman in Nolan Pratt. It was a recipe for disaster in a season where you needed Ryan Miller to play 76 games. Miller was very average this season, and never stole a game for the team. His play, with a bad defensive group in front of him was often times the difference this year. By the end of the season, Miller appeared mentally exhausted. Andrej Sekera and Mike Weber did what they needed to do in the roles they were given, and looked pretty good given how bad the rest of the defenseman were playing. The problem now is what will they do to get better next year. As a fan you should have a problem with this being your 6: Lydman-Tallinder, Spacek-Paetsch, Sekera-Weber. Pratt and Kalinin are unrestricted, and one has to wonder if Teppo will retire. They need to go out and get some veteran "D". If they go into next season with Sekera, Weber and Paetsch in their starting line-up, they will be in the same situation... watching the post season on TV!

The End of the Line

It's easy to lose perspective, in the frenzy of the Sabres playoff push the last two weeks. But it's important to remember what happened last summer, when you ponder what happened to the Sabres this season. Even after losing Chris Drury and Daniel Briere in free agency, the Sabres were thought to be a bona fide playoff contender. But this team never stepped up to those expectations. An inordinate amount of blown third period leads should have been the tip off that the Sabres of 2007-08 were a fragile bunch, lacking leadership and fortitude. They had their moments, throughout the season and in the playoff push, but not enough. And there has to be a smarter way to use goaltender Ryan Miller. One certain offseason agenda item has to be either obtain a backup goaltender you can trust, or commit to playing the one you have. It's a shame. The season didn't have to end this way.

Preseason Highlights

It's a very interesting preseason schedule announced by the Buffalo Bills today, to say the least. For one thing, only one home game, the final one. That should satisfy some of the long time season ticket holders who have objected to buying tickets for two exhibitions at home each year. In addition, that home game, the final preseason game, is on a Thursday night, not a weekend.
The game against the Steelers in Toronto should be a great night. The Steelers are somewhat of a "national" (international?) team with a widespread following. And Steeler fans are regarded as some of the most loyal in the NFL. We'll see how many of them make the 4 hour drive to Toronto for the game. The Bills have played two preseason games in Toronto in recent history. In 1995 they played the Cowboys, and in 1997 they played Green Bay. Both games were part of the NFL's American Bowl series.
The most intriguing game to me, is the August 24th game at Indianapolis. It'll be the first game ever at Indy's new Lucas Oil Stadium. We got a look at the stadium a couple of months ago, during the NFL combine in Indianapolis, and it looks spectacular. It has the same profile as Ford Field in Detroit.
Here's another interesting fact. The Bills played the second pro football game in Indy's old stadium, the Hoosier (now RCA) Dome. But they didn't play the Colts. They played the Chicago Bears in the dome, in a game that was scheduled for Indy before the Colts decided to move to the town from Baltimore in 1984.

What you need to know about the Sabres Playoff Chances

Eat your dinner early tonight! You'll wanna be on the couch in time for tonight's 7:30 face-off in Montreal. The Sabres could be one game closer to the playoffs, or eliminated before most of us goto bed. It's another must win, and you'll want to keep tabs on the out of town scores as well. The red hot Washington Capitals are also in action, facing the worst team in the East tonight.. Tampa Bay. The Caps are two point ahead of Buffalo, and a win tonight would put them in the playoffs and bump Philly out. Washington would be tied with Carolina for the lead in the Southeast division, but lose the tiebreakers. Here's what you need to know: 1) The only way the Sabres can be eliminated tonight is if they lose! 2) If Washington wins tonight, the only way the Sabres can make the playoffs is if Boston loses their final two games (Bruins @ Ottawa on Friday, home @ Sabres on Saturday). Philly would no longer factor into the picture for the Sabres since a Caps win would knock them out, and they'd need a win to get them back in which would take them to 93 points (more than the Sabres can get). 3) If Caps bump Carolina from the division lead, Sabres lose the tiebreaker to Caps and Hurricanes. The Caps are already at 92 points. 4) If the Caps lose tonight, coupled with a Sabres win: the 2 would be tied for the 9th spot. That would mean Philly is still a factor. Although it's a safe bet that the Caps will beat the Lightning. Now let's hope the Sabres can beat the Habs.

UB Football Bowl Game

In our story on the UB Bulls "Bowl Game or Bust" rallying cry, you'll hear me reference the last time the Bulls had a bowl game "invitation." That's because they were invited, but did not play in the 1958 Tangerine Bowl. The school turned down the invitation because the Bowl did not allow black players to compete. So if this year's Turner Gill Bulls make it to one of the 3 MidAmerican Conference bowl games, it will be the first in schoool history.

A-Rod makes more than the Marlins

There is something seriously wrong with Major League Baseball and the salaries the players get awarded. Has anyone seen the 2008 payrolls of MLB teams? Well, it's no surprise the Yankees top that list at $209,081, 559. They're followed by the Tigers, Mets, and Red Sox. What is completely insane is that Alex Rodriguez makes 28 million dollars. To put it into perspective: the Florida Marlins have 33 players on their opening day roster and disabled list totaling 21.8 million dollars. One player making more than an entire team!! Yankees first baseman, Jason Giambi also makes more than the Marlins at 23.4 million. A-Rod's response was "and they still seem to find a way to be competitive". I understand what these athletes put their body's through, and realize why they get paid alot of money... but more than an entire team? 28 million dollars is pretty sick. This guy didn't find a cure for cancer... he plays baseball for a living. And they think steroids is the only problem that baseball has!

Philly, Boston could eliminate Sabres Tonight

No doubt the Sabres are going to be glued to the television tonight, while they wait for tomorrow night's game against Montreal. Most Sabres fans will likely be doing the same thing, with the Sabres post-season in the hands of Philadelphia and Boston. The Flyers are at Pittsburgh with a 7:30 start, while Boston is in New Jersey with a 7pm face-off. Both teams need to lose their remaining 3 games in order for the Sabres to make the playoffs (and the Sabres need to win in Montreal and in Boston). The good news is that these should be difficult games for Philly and Boston tonight. The Penguins are still trying to lock up the top spot in the East, in which they are tied with Montreal at 100 points each. That should give them enough motivation to beat Philly. As for Boston, let's hope that New Jersey isn't on cruise control until the playoffs and instead trying to lock up the 4th spot in the East.

Sabres in Toronto

The Sabres are in Toronto tonight, where the Leafs have already been eliminated from playoff contention. At this morning's skate, the Leafs talked about how the Sabres had a big part in making sure they didn't make the post season the last 2 years. They also said now that they've missed the playoffs the past 3 season, they would enjoy nothing more than finishing off the Sabres season. Back-up goalie, Andrew Raycroft will get the start for the Leafs.. just the 18th time this season. Mats Sundin is also out of the line-up for the Leafs. The Sabres took the ice after Toronto and called it another big must win. Jochen Hecht admitted he'll be watching the out of town scores during the breaks as they are keeping a close on the Carolina and Washington game. Lindy Ruff said he told his team they need the win to make Saturday's regular season finale mean something. Game time is 7:30.

Trading Compensatory Picks

One follow-up note about Murph's blog on the Bills additional draft picks: those picks in the 4th and 7th round CANNOT be traded. That an NFL rule. But any of their other 8 picks can be. So the Bills are still in good shape to move up in any round by packaging other picks.

2 Bills Get Big Bonuses

Two Bills players were among the NFL's top 25 in performance-based pay bonuses. Linebacker John DiGiorgia received $273, 420, the 7th highest total of any player. Offensive guard Brad Butler's $252, 729 was the 16th best bonus total.
The system rewards players who's playing time exceeds their salary. Its done on a formula devised by the league and the players union. Offensive lineman Willie Colon of the Steelers had the top figure, $309, 534.

NFL Allows Defensive Headsets

The NFL passed a rule that will allow defensive players to have a helmet headset, similar to what quarterbacks have had for years. One defensive player will be allowed to hear play calls from the sidelines. In case of injuries or substitutions, one other player will be allowed to have the headset. But only one player can be on the field with the headset at one time. That means the backup player may have to change helmets during the game. 25 NFL teams voted for the rule, including the Bills. You have to think this was partly inspired by the Patriots spygate scandal, when they were caught stealing defensive signals. The Pats voted for the proposal.
Teams will likely designate a three down player. You'd have to figure the Bills will go with Angelo Crowell or Paul Posluszny, linebackers who call the defensive plays and stay on the field.

Back to Ten Picks for the Bills

The Bills got great news from the NFL today, with word that they've been awarded two extra picks for next month's draft. They're compensatory picks, to make up for the free agents lost a year ago. The Bills lost Nate Clements, Andre Davis, London Fletcher, and Mike Gandy, and signed two free agents (Derrick Dockery and Langston Walker). That's a net loss of two free agents, so the Bills get two extra picks. They were awarded a second pick in the 4th round, and a second pick in the 7th. The upshot? The Bills have ten picks in the April 26th-27th draft, just as many as they had before the Marcus Stroud trade on March 1st. And even if they can't draft and sign all ten, they have some capital to spend around draft day, to move up and down if they want.

Sabres barely hanging on

Oh those points that they let slip away! The Sabres can look back at "the ones" that got away, but it won't do them much good now. They left for Toronto this morning after an optional skate at HSBC arena. They won't return to Buffalo until Sunday, when they will be cleaning out their lockers or on the slim of chance getting ready for the playoffs to begin. It's hard to have hope with this team, as they tend to pull you in like they did on Sunday. They make you believe in them, but only for a moment. Now fans must sit back and hope that they can reel off 3 straight wins. I'm not sure I have that much belief in them, but I guess you never know. The problem is, they've put themselves in a position where just winning out isn't good enough. They need other teams to lose, and while there are many scenarios since Philly, Boston, and the Rangers are tied with 91 points.. I am almost more interested in their games on Wednesday and Thursday. It is pretty crazy to see just how tight the standings are in the final week of the regular season. Look at Ottawa, they have 92 points. The best in the East at the beginning of the season, could miss the playoffs. Not likely, but it is possible.

26 Players Begins

Its Monday March 31st....and today we begin our month-long NFL Draft previews....26 Players in 26 Days. We start today with Chris Long, the Virginia defensive end who may be the Dolphins choice as the first pick in the Draft. As we continue, we'll focus on positions of need for the Bills: receiver, tight end, fullback and cornerback. The previews air each day in News 4 at Six, right up until the day before the Draft, which is April 26.
If you miss one, you can go back and watch it here on wivb.com. Plus, a web exclusive is 4-5 additional minutes of college highlights of each player.
What would you think if a player like Long joins the Dolphins and becomes a focus for the Bills offense twice a year?

Big Bucks for Dallas Stadium

We hear so much about the disparity of revenues in the NFL, especially with the Bills at the low end. I found this story to give you a black-and-white example. The Dallas Cowboys new $1.1 Billion dollar stadium will open in 2009. Experts believe the naming rights will set a professional sports record, netting Jerry Jones and the Silver Star boys more than $20 million a season. The would eclipse the record held by the Mets new Citi Field (2009 opening-20 years, $400 million) and the proposed new NJ Nets Barclays Center in Brooklyn (20 years, $400 million). That's a staggering sum, especially when compared to the Bills. Buffalo gets nothing for Ralph Wilson Stadium, a team decision based on their claim that they can't get any significant money for the naming rights. That's probably not entirely true, but a small-market, off-the-national radar team like the Bills may be lucky to get $1 million based just on the fact that they play inthe most popular sports league in the U.S.
Remember, the Cowboys get to keep all of that money. It is not shared with the other teams the way ticket revenues are. So Jerry Jones can use that to sign free agents, assistant coaches and scouts. That's the unfair advantage that Ralph Wilson complains about.