Miller signs 5 year extension

Attention Sabres fans: No need to panic, Ryan Miller has signed a 5 year extension with the Sabres. He is not leaving to play for the Red Wings next season! In fact, Darcy Regier said Miller was up front about wanting to stay in Buffalo and was receptive to getting a deal done once July 1st hit. Miller will make 3. 5 million in the final year of his current deal. His extension is for 5 years, and worth 31.25 million, which has him making 6.25 million a season. It's alot of money coming off an average season. The problem is, Miller had played in 76 games last season.. which was probably about 15 too many. His 2.64 goals against doesn't add up to 6.25 million a season, but that is the going rate for a starting goalie. The Sabres didn't have many options on this one. If they tried to play hard ball with Miller, they would have lost him at the trade deadline, or even worse... to free agency. So even though the numbers seem a bit high, it is in the ballpark where the Sabres needed to be. You may think differently about Miller now too, as he made the commitment to stay in Buffalo rather than test the open market like others (Drury, Briere, and Campbell) have done.

So what do you think, Is Miller work 5 years at 6.25 million a season?

Bills Fans are Amazing

It never ceases to amaze me--the loyalty displayed by Buffalo Bills fans. And they don't just talk the talk--they buy the tickets.
The football team announced today that they've sold 54,200 season tickets for the upcoming season, already the third highest season ticket total in franchise history. And there's still a couple of weeks left to buy the season tickets.
You may scratch your head and wonder--How can a team that hasn't been in the playoffs since 1999 engender so much support at the box office? I think I know why:

1. Bills fans love pro football. They live, breathe and sleep NFL football and the Bills. That's not just demonstrated by the support at the box office. How about the box-car numbers for TV ratings for NFL games not involving the Bills. Buffalo is regularly one of the top 3-4 markets in the country for the Super Bowl and playoff telecasts.
2. Season tickets are a better deal this year. This is an outgrowth of the team's Toronto initiative. For years, fans have complained about being forced to buy two preseason home games, as part of their season ticket package. Now, one of those preseason games is in Toronto. In addition, the Bills have struggled to sell out some late-season home games the last few years, mostly due to weather. Now, one of those games is in Toronto. It's a better deal for Western New York season ticket holders--a cheaper season ticket package with a couple of problemmatical games out of the package.
Of course, the biggest reason the Bills have hit a 17-year high in season ticket sales is optimism about the upcoming season. Bills fans think this team might be on the verge of something big. Let's see if the team holds up its' end of the bargain.