1. Buffalo Sabres at Ottawa Senators, Eastern Conference Semifinals, Game One -- May 5, 2006

1-0. 1-1. 2-1. 2-2. 3-2. 3-3. 4-3. 4-4. 5-4. 5-5. 6-5. 6-6. 7-6.

I've seen a lot of hockey in my life, but I had never seen anything like Buffalo's 7-6 win over Ottawa.

To set the scene, the Sabres were the upstart that year, though I'm not sure you could find more than a handful of fans who weren't feeling mighty good about Buffalo's chances after the team trounced Philadelphia in uproariously fun fashion. But Ottawa loomed, and it was a Senators team that had beaten the Sabres in five of eight regular season contests.

Yes, the Sabres had won the last two April battles decisively, and had a history of handling Ottawa in the playoffs, but some of the losses to the Senators were disgusting. Remember the 10-4 loss to the Senators on Nov. 2, 2005? Ryan Miller broke his thumb in the pregame skate, and Martin Biron was forced to start. Biron was pulled, Mika Noronen came in. Noronen was pulled. Biron came back in. Yikes.

So, that specter was looming. Both teams went 52-30 that year, but Ottawa was the East's No. 1 seed by virtue of three more overtime losses. The Senators mowed through the Lightning with even more ease than the Sabres dispatched the Flyers, and Buffalo had to go up to Kanata for Game One.

Most of The Howard Simon Show was at a local restaurant, packed with guys and gals in Sabres gear. During that run, bars, restaurants and living rooms felt almost as electric as the arenas hosting the games. This was the birth of car flags and odd collectibles, for better or worse.

The game got off to a great start for Buffalo, who got out of the gate in a hurry. Derek Roy fed Mike Grier for the game's first tally just 35 seconds into the contest. The marker was the first of many bookend goals of the contest, as the puck shot back-and-forth, from wire-to-wire, with no downtime.

Jason Spezza and Bryan Smolinski struck twice in fifteen seconds for Ottawa, restoring the feeling of home-ice advantage, but only for a handful of minutes. The two goals were the only consecutive goals scored by a single team until the thrilling final minute of hockey. Teppo Numminen's power play tally was the last of the first period's goals.

Martin Havlat put the Sens up very quickly in the second period, but Tim Connolly turned the tide with a goal that still leaves hockey fans breathless. Down a man, Connolly picked up a loose puck in his own end, made a Senator fall down and then stickhandled through two guys before putting a backhand from a seemingly impossible angle past Ray Emery (Thank goodness Emery was their goalie, by the way). It may have been Connolly's finest hour. I get a feeling Connolly's agent sent that goal on DVD to Darcy Regier every day last year, because for a moment $9 million doesn't seem that outlandish.

Just 46 seconds later, it was Dany Heatley's time to try and punch the Sabres in the gut with his third of the playoffs. Thing is, these Sabres were unable to be shocked, save for a horrifying run of injuries. With thirty seconds left in the second period, Derek Roy netted Buffalo's fourth goal, setting the stage for the most exciting period of hockey in a long, long time.

Mike Fisher's full-face mask watched the future Mr. Underwood put Ottawa up 5-4 just 16 seconds into the final frame of regulation, and it didn't look good when Brian Campbell took a penalty with a power play expiring.

The Sabres would be short-handed for 1:41 or less of the final 162 seconds. That's not a good recipe, but Buffalo had something cooking: another short-handed goal. Roy tipped the puck around Ottawa's point man and gave the puck to Connolly. The two broke away on a 2-on-1, and Connolly made another silly move before sliding the puck to Roy, who put the teams on level terms.

Re-enter Bryan Smolinski, who put Ottawa up 6-5 about 24 seconds after Roy's emotional equalizer. At that moment, there was no more disgusting sight in the world than the smug look on Smolinski's face. In retrospect, it's a wonderful look. His comeuppance arrived in short order.

Derek Roy dumped a shot on net with 18 seconds to go that Emery didn't cover up, even with the puck resting one foot from his foot. Daniel Briere swooped in and threw the puck on net with a back, and with 11 seconds on the clock, Connolly flicked a huge rebound into the net.

It was hysteria. People were jumping onto the tables at the restaurant, hugging total strangers. We were headed for overtime.

You know what happens next. Chris Drury beats Emery for the game-winner, with assists to Mike Grier and Ottawa's Zamboni driver. Senators defenseman Anton Volchenkov lost the puck in a pool of water. Grier scooped it up and dumped it off to Captain Clutch. Game over and, in a sense, series over. Ottawa won Game Four in Buffalo for their only victory of the series.

The series was unequivocably the No. 1 story of the decade mentioned by our staff. The 7-6 game was No. 1 by far, while Jason Pominville's Game Five goal was talked about almost as much. If you're talking 2000-09, you'll have a hard time finding a better moment for Buffalo sports, but feel free to try.

Here's to a much better 10 years.

Email: nick@wgr550.com

2. Sabres stay put -- March 14, 2003

With victories, losses, free agency and trades, it's easy to forget that the word "Portland" didn't mean "minor league affiliate" in the early part of this decade.

The Sabres were in trouble. As it goes with Buffalo sports teams, it was another movie plot line. Their owner, quite literally, was a criminal and the team appeared on the pathway to doom. Even when things looked up, they were down: A business man named Mark Hamister wanted to buy the team, and was supported by the league. Turns out he didn't have a lot of money and wanted the government to help him a lot. Whoops.

Our own Bulldog lays out how precarious the team's future could've been under Hamister.

"Tom Golisano buys the Buffalo Sabres out of bankruptcy, keeping Mark Hamister and a proposal heavy on state aid from going through," Bulldog writes. "In case you forgot, the Hamister bid would have allowed the Rigas family to retain a partial ownership interest. Seriously. And most every local politician was on board. Hurray for regional leadership."

It was a frightening time to be a Sabres fan, especially for guys like me who grew up adoring ice hockey more than any other sport and was thrilled when his dad or mom got a pair of tickets from work. There was a sense of disbelief as we were forced to contemplate the very real fact that Buffalo could lose its National Hockey League franchise.

Luckily for Buffalo, the $92 million price tag was very appealing to Rochester billionaire Thomas Golisano, and the billionaire has done very well since purchasing the team. The Sabres have done alright, too, as Brian Koziol writes:

"I know this event isn't fun or even that exciting," Koziol writes. "The Winter Classic was more fun, the Music City Miracle was clearly the most memorable play of the decade, but no other event saved a franchise that is now so beloved by this city."

It wasn't a game. There wasn't a ticker tape parade or a memorable play-by-play call. You can't even write that much about it with great emotion. The fact remains that whether you love the way he operates his hockey club, Buffalo might not have their Sabres without the decision made that winter.

Email: nick@wgr550.com

3. Buffalo Bills at Tennessee Titans, AFC Wild Card playoffs -- January 8, 2000

If you can believe it, even in retrospect, the Titans were just scrambling for an option to get themselves into field goal range. Down 16-15 with just 16 seconds on the clock, Tennessee special teams coach Alan Lowry leafed through his options and decided on a play to get them as far down the field as possible.

It was called "Home Run Throwback."

Having tumult to close the game was only fitting considering the way the Bills regular season had gone, and ended. The Bills lost big at Indianapolis to open the season, only to reel off four wins. At 4-1, Buffalo proceeded to drop two-in-a-row before winning six of nine, enabling coach Wade Phillips to rest his starters in Week Sixteen.

Problem is, backup quarterback Rob Johnson embarrassed the Colts, 31-6, and someone decided it was a great idea to start the kid over 15-game starter Doug Flutie. To be fair, "Flutie Magic" didn't really translate to stat sheet that year -- Flutie had tossed a modest 19 touchdowns to go with 16 interceptions.

Still, step back and imagine this scenario happened this week in the NFL -- Arizona's Matt Leinart lights up Green Bay in a meaningless Week 17 game, and Ken Whisenhunt installs Leinart over Kurt Warner as the starter for their Wild Card match-up. ESPN would actually start on fire. Merrill Hoge and Mark Schlereth would be in studio playing dodgeball with throwing stars.

That would be more exciting than the way the game began, with no scoring in the first quarter. A Jevon Kearse-sacking of Rob Johnson in the end zone was worth two points, and kick-started a 12-point second frame for Tennessee. Antowain Smith scored twice for the Bills to make it 13-12, but a two-point conversion failed, allowing the Titans to take a 15-13 lead on an Al Del Greco field goal.

Then Johnson, having a miserable day to that point -- and to be fair, overall -- lead the Bills on a thing of a beauty that culminated in a 41-yard Steve Christie field goal. Forget his 10-of-22 for 131 yards stat line, Johnson and the Buffalo Bills appeared headed to the next round, barring a miracle.

%$^&*%.

"You will never be able to convince me that the Bills would not have won the Super Bowl that year," WGR's Dan Cave writes. "Sure, there was the whole Johnson/Flutie thing that would have remained unsettled. I can't imagine Flutie keeping quiet had they adavanced much further, and as we know in retrospect, Johnson didn't exactly have a penchant for big games...or just games. But it's still fun to pretend."

It's fun to pretend, but it would be better if what happened could be erased from the history of Buffalo sports. Frank Wycheck heaved the ball across the field to Kevin Dyson, who raced 75 yards for a 22-16 lead. The feeling of futility while watching Dyson race down the sideline immediately following the thrill of Buffalo taking the lead made the loss even more gut-wrenching. There was a lengthy review that proved useless for Bills fans, and in the days that followed, newspapers would have physicists, professors and witch doctors detailing how the Earth's rotation and revolution made it the play a forward pass. That really happened.

"I don't presume to know whether the ball went forward or backward, but I do know this: That was the worst way to lose a game in the history of anything," Cave wrote. "If you are a Bills fan, the good news is, it will never get worse than that. If you are not a Bills fan, I pray you never go through that. It was a worse feeling than the Norwood miss because it's not as if Super Bowl XXV had been locked up and you were practically assured of victory. Norwood still had to kick the ball!"

I could tell you about the Bills firing 13-year special teams coach Bruce DeHaven and hiring the defensive coordinator of the team that beat them, but Mr. Cave is on a roll.

"This gets the top spot (in Cave's poll) for those reasons and because we all know what happened next," Cave continues. "Thurman, Andre, and Bruce were unceremoniously dumped, Cowart got injured, Johnson won the Great QB Derby, Tom Donahoe took power, Gregg Williams got hired (and Marvin Lewis and John Fox did not). Bledsoe got here, McGahee got here, Ruben Brown got unceremoniously dumped, Williams got fired, Mularkey arrived, J.P. Losman got drafted, it became obvious that Bledsoe and McGahee would not be what we hoped, Donahoe called us jerks, Moulds got into a shouting match on the sideline, Marv Levy took over (huh?), Mularkey agreed to come back, Mularkey quit, Jauron took over, and that should about bring you up to speed."

%^^**^(* Music City Miracle, man.

Email: nick@wgr550.com

4. (tie) Chris Drury and Daniel Briere skip town/allowed to leave as unrestricted free agents -- July 1, 2007

In what was seemingly the area's biggest "he-said-he-said-he-said-he-said" not involving the waterfront or an international bridge, the Sabres players, front office, Buffalo media and fans combined on a year-long contractual headache culminating in a 34-minute-or-so period that punched almost all involved in the throat.

The Chris Drury/Daniel Briere era of Sabres hockey provided Buffalo sports fans with something impossible to manufacture: innocence and euphoria. Their departure took the story in the all-too-familiar direction -- pain, misery, woe, dire straits, bickering, yadda yadda yadda. Worse, Buffalo felt the pain the of a jilted lover, as the two chose new jerseys reviled in the Queen City.

For our part, I remember coming into work on Sunday night because Briere had signed with Philadelphia. By the time the members of The Howard Simon Show had assembled in studio for a late night show, reports were surfacing that Drury was a Ranger.

How could the management let these two vital cogs skip town? Didn't they know there was a period of time before free agency to sign important players? And how could these two leave Buffalo for New York and Philadelphia? Didn't they care about the city as much as they said they had?

Both players were nice hockey players before they came to town, but Buffalo made Briere and Drury the stars they are now, especially No. 48. Both were cast-offs, as we've mentioned in other moments in this series. Briere was a mercurial player who never shook the reputation of "talented player who stays on the ice too long and doesn't play defense," while Drury's reputation as post-season hero wasn't enough to convince Calgary he was part of the answer after just one full season in Alberta.

So they came here, put lightning in a bottle and shook it around a bit. There's no way to capture that magic in simple words when dealing with such a negative story, but suffice it to say the Sabres were really good, and it was mostly these two who deserved the credit, along with Lindy Ruff and his coaching staff, who set up that whole "Danny, you go on one side of the net, Chris, you on the other. It's the power play, so pass it back and forth until one of you scores. It'll be cool."

Take a lot at their points-per-game before-and-after their time in Buffalo:

Daniel Briere -
with Phoenix: 258 gms, 70 goals, 76 assists, -19 (.566)
with Buffalo: 226 gms, 92 goals, 138 assists, +14 (1.02)
with Philadelphia: 138 gms, 54 goals, 64 assists, -32 (.855)

Chris Drury-
w/ Colorado and Calgary: 394 gms, 108 goals, 167 assists, +15 (.698)
with Buffalo: 234 gms, 85 goals, 104 assists, -2 (.808)
with NY Rangers: 194 gms, 52 goals, 76 assists, -17 (.660)

We haven't even mentioned the money. These guys, according to many including themselves, could've been had for a lot less a lot earlier than July 1. Instead, New York and Philadelphia paid a lot of green for the co-captains. Drury got five years and $35.25 million from the Rangers, while Briere received eight years and $52 million from the Flyers.

Not bad for guys who were worth about $5 million-per just a few months beforehand. You know the drill from then-on-in: a lot of bickering in Western New York. Larry Quinn, Darcy Regier and Tom Golisano were vilified. Television news broadcasters started showing up to hockey press conferences, asking awesome questions like, "What do you say to those fans who spent money on Drury and Briere jerseys?"

To his credit, Regier uttered a pretty funny response, pausing before saying, "Sorry?"

Whoever's fault it really was, it stunk, and shaped the Sabres for years, as Buffalo had no choice but to match Edmonton's massive offer sheet to restricted free agent Thomas Vanek. Whatever happens in the next few years, it'll be hard to forget how good it was, and how badly it was fouled up.

Email: nick@wgr550.com

It's all about the quarterback.

I could use some flowery language and pretend there was some sort of stage set for the start of something special, but the truth is far from it. The Buffalo Bills are a subpar football team ravaged by injury that's in great need of leaders and a quarterback, especially the latter. There was only one skill player on the entire field who did anything worthwhile, and he's thinking of retiring. Not only that, but Perry Fewell may one day be an NFL head coach. It shouldn't be here and now, though.

Sadly, let's break it down...

-- Fewell's a pretty decent coach, but he hasn't done a good enough to job to stop the major overhaul that is needed in many departments of One Bills Drive. Fans can put up with the garbage they've seen in certain scenarios because of injuries and poor personnel, but no one wants to see Fewell hide in a shell of Dick Jauron conservatism. Nothing is going to get done with weak punt calls on fourth-and-shorts in the opponents territory in a game you need to win to have a shot at the Buffalo head coaching job. It was unacceptable.

-- If there is anyone out there thinking that Brian Brohm is either brilliant or awful, please inform them they are trying too hard. To be fair, it may be impossible to judge the performances of any of the Bills signal callers this year, save for saying they aren't good enough to be No. 1 quarterbacks in the National Football League. Should Brohm start Week 17? Absolutely. The sad thing is, Brohm's 146 yards passing isn't even in the bottom of third of the Bills quarterbacks this year.

Fitzpatrick, 297 yards in Wk11
Fitzpatrick, 246 yards in Wk12
Edwards, 230 yards in Wk2
Edwards, 212 yards in Wk1
Edwards, 192 yards in Wk4
Edwards, 185 yards in Wk10
Fitzpatrick, 178 yards in Wk15
Edwards, 156 yards in Wk3
Edwards, 152 yards in Wk5
Brohm, 146 yards in Wk16
Fitzpatrick, 123 yards in Wk7
Fitzpatrick, 117 yards in Wk8
Fitzpatrick, 116 yards in Wk6
Fitzpatrick, 98 yards in Wk14
Fitzpatrick, 86 yards in Wk 13

-- The extra sad thing is Brohm may have been only one play away from having a stat line that looked a lot like Matt Ryan's Week 16 performance. Brohm tried to hit Terrell Owens on a deep ball that Owens looked less-than-interested in breaking up. No, it wasn't a good throw, but Owens gave his critics something to pick at on that play.

-- I do want to say this for the quarterbacks. Edwards won the job out of camp, and the quarterbacks numbers have declined week-by-week. Why is that? No, it's not Alex Van Pelt. The Bills lost Brad Butler in Week Two, and linemen were lost for the season bi-weekly afterwards. Even Jamon Meredith, who wasn't miserable, was absent from some contests with injury. Believe it or not, this offensive line doesn't need a major fix. It needs depth and a left tackle. Andy Levitre, Geoff Hangartner and Butler will be back and starting, and hopefully Eric Wood will heal correctly as well. If Richie Incognito wants to stick around as an extra linemen, that's probably okay, too.

-- If you're one of the folks thinking the dismissal of Langston Walker cost the Bills their season, you'll be happy to learn he doesn't even start for the 5-10 Raiders. Ahead of him on the depth chart at right tackle? Undrafted free agent Cornell Green out of the offensive line powerhouse than is the University of Central Florida.

-- Also, for those who want to argue that Turk Schonert would've done a better job than Alex Van Pelt, please go back and look at the games Schonert directed the Bills offense and then proceed to be quiet.

-- If Aaron Schobel wants to retire because he's an honorable guy who doesn't want to show up his organization by asking for a trade to a decent team, that's a shame. Schobel's three sacks give him 10 for the year and move him into the Top Ten amongst defensive ends, ahead of Mario Williams and Osi Umeniyora, one half-sack behind Julius Peppers. Schobel is also in the Top Five for tackles amongst ends. His recovery from a broken foot that hampered him throughout of 2008 is one of the only bright spots on the 2009 Bills. I sincerely hope he doesn't call it quits.

-- The defense can only take so much. Losing Jairus Byrd and Terrence McGee really lit the Bills secondary on fire. Drayton Florence is a fine No. 2 corner, but he doesn't work at No. 1. Donte Whitner shouldn't be a starting safety in the National Football League. I've given him every opportunity, maybe more than most because of the unfair label given to him for being the No. 8 overall pick. He's just not good enough to start.

-- Honestly, do you want the Bills to be a playoff team? All it takes is a quarterback to rectify most woes. Yes, even with a line this bad you can win games! Look at the difference in the AFC North. With Carson Palmer instead of Ryan Fitzpatrick, the Bengals have clinched the division, while the Steelers are fighting for their lives. Why? Well, Ben Roethlisberger missed one game against Baltimore this year, and Pittsburgh still only lost by three. They are 0-2 when he doesn't play the entire competitive portion of a game, as they lost in overtime to Kansas City when he was knocked out with a concussion (A game in which he threw for 398 yards).

-- There are other examples. Why were the Falcons a disappointing 7-7 before destroying the Bills on Sunday? Well, they were 0-2 without franchise quarterback Matt Ryan.

-- By the way, Bills fans, Charlie bleeping Frye threw for 333 yards on Sunday.

-- I'm cutting this short by saying it's all about the quarterback. All, and Brohm better start next Sunday, unless you plan on giving Gibran Hamdan a feel-good start.

Stat line I enjoyed:
Schobel, four tackles, three sacks
-- If he's leaving, Buffalo's in trouble. End should not be a Day One need next season, and the "for-sale signs on his yard" talk was unplanned.

Stat line I didn't enjoy:
Fred Jackson, 13 carries, 40 yards
-- Again, I love his story, but I'm not convinced he's a single feature back in this league. This team needs two of him.

Game ball:
Schobel

Lastly...
I got nothing.

Next Week:
Hot rumour is this game will be flexed to night. Sounds really cold. Indianapolis 31, Buffalo 11.

Email: nick@wgr550.com

4. (tie) The Winter Classic, Pittsburgh Penguins at Buffalo Sabres, Ralph Wilson Stadium -- January 1, 2008

If there's one thing Buffalo likes, it's tailgating and multiples -- multiple drinks, multiple friends, multiple vision. So, when the National Hockey League announced they were going to give the city an extra chance to do it on national television, the clamor for tickets was instant.

In what was probably the worst day for bandwidth and internet speed in the history of Western New York, Sabres fans jammed the ticket-buying sites on Sept. 17, 2007, to try and purchase some of the 73,000-plus tickets available for the contest which would later come to be known as the NHL Super Energy Drink Ice Hockey Contest of Greatness, Powered by Ninjas or something like that.

For my part, I was in the 20/20 Sportsbooth while the rest of The Howard Simon Show and our boss, Andy Roth, were at other computers trying to get through the online waiting room, which doesn't even have old magazines. I lucked out, and didn't hesitate to buy the maximum amount of tickets at the risk of my bank statement. Eight tickets. Thank God, I have a huge hockey-loving immediate family, or I would've had to host a Mortal Kombat-style fighting tournament including my friends.

While the NHL has upped the ante on outdoor games with contests in historic ballparks like Wrigley Field and Fenway Park (next week), don't let the novelty of the event taint your memories on what was one of the most exciting events in Buffalo sports history. The Sabres abandonned their maligned new uniforms for the old classic almost everyone wanted, and the Penguins went back to the days before everyone needed to wear black, donning gorgeous baby blue uniforms for the occasions.

They was grilling and Polish horseshoes, beer and banter, parkas and pucks. All seemingly without the threat of bloodshed in a parking lot. The city was still in the throes of iced hockey's glory, even with the team off to a sluggish start that wouldn't get any better. The explanation seemed too easy: "We're a heck of a town. Those are some really nice cameras. Let's show this country our best."

WGR's Brian Koziol and Corey Griswold will remember it as a moment for their city and its fans.

"As an organization, this was the pinnacle of the post-lockout run," Griswold writes. "The entire hockey world focused on Buffalo, and the city did not disappoint. An entire football stadium filled with hockey fans on a dreary, wet day to watch a great spectacle. It wasn't great hockey in a technical sense (hockey outside never is) and the Sabres ended up losing (and were never quite the same). Regardless, it was a banner day for local sports. Not only did the city belong in the big time of professional sports, it owned it. At least for a day."

"Best event of the decade to attend in person in WNY," Koziol added. "The snow, the fans, the uniforms, the stage of Crosby vs Miller -- It was almost perfect. Had the Sabres won, it would have been."

There 14,000 more people there than the 2003 Heritage Classic in Edmonton, and you sure could tell, even after Colby Armstrong scored 21 seconds into the game. Conspiracy Theorists just getting to their seats probably figured, "Great! The NHL is spotting Crosby one."

Through all the memorable moments, from the national anthems to Sidney Crosby's game-winning shoot-out goal, one still gives me chills -- the sound of 73,000-plus screaming to high Heaven as Brian Campbell's second-period shot found netting to tie it at one. Maybe the ice wasn't great, and yes, the weather wasn't ideal, but as Lindy Ruff told reporters after the game, "The hell with the cynics." This was a brilliant day for Buffalo, and the choir of all that is holy in hockey here sang out, sang out for all to hear.

For my entire life, I've adored the game of hockey. It started with skating at Brighton Arena and loving the feel of the ice beneath me. It turned into lacing them up on Ellicott Creek, or at Ives Pond, and dreaming of the name "Mendola" atop the No. 9 or 12 of a white home Sabres jersey. It now lives in beer leagues, on the Erie Basin Marina and in my Uncle Larry's frozen backyard with cousins and friends, and that day -- it was celebrated in the best darn hockey town in America.

Email: nick@wgr550.com

6. New York Rangers at Buffalo Sabres, Eastern Conference Semifinals, Game Five -- May 4, 2007

When I'm an old man, or even just an older dad, and discussions come up about athletes my kids never saw play, there's a good chance one will be waxed poetic more than most. He was listed at 5'10" -- key word: listed -- and he'd rather physically stop a puck with his face than let the opposition score. He didn't play major junior hockey, wasn't a first-round pick and wasn't considered indispensible by a middling Western Canadian hockey team, let alone the Stanley Cup Champions with whom he skated to start his career.

It's hard-to-believe now, but the career of Chris Drury was still that of an underdog story when he was dealt to the Buffalo Sabres on July 3, 2003.

To know the story of Game Five versus the Rangers is to identify with Drury's whole backstory, which is probably a large part of why Buffalo fell in love with Drury. He was constantly-valued, but constantly-expendable. He went to work every day, did his job the best he could. In doing his job, he was often better than everyone else, and often overlooked. A lot of Western New Yorkers feel that sting every day.

Even when he was named captain of his new hockey club, there was a rub. He'd wear the 'C' on half the nights, because there was another underdog story with a little more glitz to it. Daniel Briere was approximately 4'11", and he was dismissed by the Phoenix Coyotes. When that joke of a franchise sent him to minor leagues, the other NHL teams not named Buffalo didn't care to ink the dude.

Of course, all that changed in the course of three years. Drury went from a bargain to a steal to Buffalo's own Italian Job. The man was folklore dressed in blue-and-gold (Well, first, he was dressed in black, red, white, gray and silver). He had won the Little League World Series, and the Hobey Baker. He asked why there wasn't a picture of the Stanley Cup in the locker room. He just did things that made you want to buy him a beer or three.

His first year, the Sabres almost made a run to the playoffs. His second year, they gave the city a dream season that -- hint, hint -- we'll explore a little more later.

His third year, however, was the coup de grace. For the first time since the 1993 Bills, Western New York was backing the clear best team in the league in its Sabres. Buffalo would go 53-22-7, capturing the Presidents Trophy. Drury was no longer any sort of underdog, scoring a career-best 37 goals. It isn't far-fetched to say he won't come close to that figure again in his career.

But as much as there was magic in town, the playoffs brought a lot of questions. Buffalo did not look like world beaters in defeating the New York Islanders in five games in the first round of the playoffs. The series was even tied at a game a piece after two. They looked rusty against an Isles team that was certainly just happy to be there, and had little else in the line-up save for a rushed-back-to-the-ice and still-injured Rick DiPietro.

So, there were questions beginning to emerge about the team's heart heading into the second round series with the Rangers. Weren't these guys that much better than everyone else all year? How were they struggling with the Isles? Could Ryan Miller outplay Henrik Lundqvist?

Luckily for Buffalo, and Drury, the pundits inspired Miller. It'll be long-forgotten and perhaps even a bit irrelevant, but Miller's stats against the Rangers were impeccable. After Buffalo took Games One and Two at home, Miller gave one of the finest performances of his career came in a double overtime loss in Game Three, stopping 44 of 46 shots in a contest the Sabres were out-played and out-worked. Two nights later, Buffalo only managed one goal again, and the series was headed back to Buffalo with the sixth-seeded Rangers square with the East's best.

Now the questions were really pouring in -- Where was the leadership? It was the first time that query was raised in years, and it certainly wouldn't be the last. That, too -- hint, hint -- a little later.

There was a Game Five to be played, and the Sabres came out looking like the team that won the Presidents Trophy, out-shooting New York 24-14 through two periods. Still, goose eggs. Then, Martin Straka raised the collective blood pressure of Erie County by scoring with just 3:19 to go in the third to make it 1-0.

It looked bleak. It looked rough. If Charles Dickens had written the tale, someone's head would've been chopped off. But with 16.6 seconds to play, Lindy Ruff drew up a play for the a face-off deep in the New York end. Take it away, Rick Jeanneret...

"Puck goes to the boards, though, the Rangers... here's Drury after it in the corner. Drury spun it out in front. Here's the shot, blocked in front, rebound, SCOOOOOOORES! BUFFALO SCOOOOOOORES!!! CHRIS DRUUUUURRY!! WHO ELSE? WHO ELSE?!? CHRIS DRURY HAS TIED IT AT ONE WITH SEVEN-POINT-SEVEN SECONDS TO GO!"

Who else, indeed? HSBC Arena was electric, and the series inevitably became Buffalo's property. Unlike Game Three, it took Maxim Afinogenov just 4:39 to beat Lundqvist, and the Sabres finished the Rangers in New York a couple days later. Ultimately, Drury couldn't save the team against Ottawa, though he did score the only game-winner of the series.

The Presidents Trophy ride was over, and it was a monumental disappointment. The Ottawa series signalled the beginning of troubling times for the team.

By the time the 2009-10 season ends, Chris Drury's time in Buffalo will be equalled or bettered by his time in both New York and Colorado. His career stats will be read by eyes that know no better. If it ended today, his stats would look like a career minus-player who scored enough to matter to four or more teams.

In Buffalo, though, those 268 total games and 102 goals will mean a lot more, and a certain goal will ring in the city's minds. Maybe it'll even ring a little hollow. But there's no question that May 4, 2007 tally was a special one. As Drury's former teammate and captain Joe Sakic once said of Drury:

"You want a goal? You're in overtime? You want him."

We didn't want him. We had him.

Email: nick@wgr550.com

7. (tie) The UB Bulls win the MAC Championship with a stunning upset win over No. 12 Ball State -- December 5, 2008

One of the greater arguments for the 2008 UB football team's place in history is how it ressurrected one of the finest forgotten stories in NCAA history. While pundits and fans were celebrating Turner Gill's meteoric turnaround of the Bulls from a tomato can to a gutty prize fighter, reporters were unearthing stories of the 1958 Buffalo squad that showed what defines a team.

But before we worry about that, there's this thing on the field that folks like called football, and UB had a heck of a team rolling into Detroit for the 2008 Mid American Conference Championship. Their task as a program was relatively epic -- beat an undefeated team eyeing up a BCS Bowl, and do it in your first championship game. Oh, by the way, you've never beaten your opponent in the history of your program, let alone a ranked team.

Seriously, UB? Who were they to think they'd do anything against No. 12 Ball State, a team that hadn't really played a close game all year? Only one of the Cardinals' 12 wins that year was by less than 12 points, a 31-24 road victory at a very good Central Michigan team. Ball State had quarterback Nate Davis, a signal caller being viewed as a lock to leave school early and find a home in the National Football League.

Perhaps the great naivete of the program played a big part. Most of the Bulls players, coaches, administrators and fans didn't know any better. In a season that saw a win on a Hail Mary, three overtime victories and comeback stories Hollywood wouldn't touch, the community seemed to have the mindset of "%^&$ it, we're here, so let's do this. Why not?"

Why not?

The Bulls had a couple of pocket aces, though. Athletic director Warde Manuel and head coach Gill had done this dance before, Manuel as a defensive end under Bo Schembechler at Michigan and Gill as a Heisman-hopeful quarterback under Tom Osborne at Nebraska. They may not have known any better as first-time men-in-charge, but they didn't seem to care all that much about predictions. They did, after all, agree to take over a Division-I football program that had been deemed all but a monumental flop in Western New York.

Which brings us full circle to that 1958 team. Say what you will about Buffalo moving forward, but the Bulls athletic department would have to be considered progressive. UB was the only D-I school with a black athletic director (Manuel), head football coach (Gill) and head men's basketball coach (Witherspoon) -- the latter of which had captured the campus with a gritty group of hoopsters in 2005.

That willingness to hire the best man for the job honored the '58 boys, a team that turned down an invitation to The Tangerine Bowl because the event wouldn't let Buffalo's two African American players participate in the game. That honorable sting wasn't fixed with the next winning season and a more reasonable bowl committee -- Buffalo wouldn't be bowl-eligible for 50 years.

So, you'd say bless the aforementioned naivete at first glance. How would these players, barely noticeable on a national scale after a 7-5 season, take down a conference giant they'd never vanquished?

Well, unlike most Buffalo teams, they'd get bounces. Playing with the trademark brash and reckless abandon of their coach, the Bulls unleashed their physical game on a nationally-televised scale, hanging tough for a nice story as the first half ended with the Bulls trailing, 10-7. When local product Naaman Roosevelt snagged a 39-yard touchdown pass from Drew Willy to give the Bulls a 14-10 lead, Ball State came right back and punched the upstart Bulls in the gut with a compassionless seven-play, 65 yard touchdown drive capped off by a Miquale Lewis touchdown run.

17-14, Cardinals.

Two plays later, the Bulls appeared on the verge of folding to this team that had beaten them seven times in seven tries. Buffalo fumbled the ball away to the Cardinals, who marched down the field in a hurry. From the 1-yard line, the only certain thing was the crying. Would it be Lewis again? Would Davis pull out some trickery? How would Ball State secure their undefeated campaign for another month?

Davis ran left and got his proverbial highlight reel ready, taking to the air to reach the Buffalo goal line. Only problem is, Josh Thomas popped him pretty good, and safety Mike Newton was gone... 99 yards gone. Three-and-a-half minutes later, Sherrod Lott scooped up another Cardinals fumbled and raced 74 yards for the score. By the time Niagara Falls native James Starks scored late in the fourth quarter, the Bulls held a 42-24 lead.

The win came with all the glorious accoutrements we don't see here in Buffalo, and one you don't really see anywhere, as a teary-eyed, voice-shaking Gill addressed the world.

"These guys... I'm just proud of them, man," Gill said, his voice wavering while being interviewed by ESPN's Rob Stone, who asked him where the moment ranks in his big-moment-filled career.

"The greatest.. just because of this program was at, and these guys come through in three years and become MAC Champs. I talked about becoming champions, and they did it... they did it. I'm proud of them."

Then, in a moment too emotional to recapture in words, the camera did the talking. Gill met Manuel a few yards away, and two grown men too large for life wept in victory.

Gill's gone to Kansas now, and Manuel's due to get a big call sometime soon, but no one can take that moment from Buffalo.

See the highlights and interview mentioned here: http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=283402084

Email: nick@wgr550.com

7. (tie) The Bills trade a 2003 first-rounder to New England for Drew Bledsoe -- April 21, 2002

The 2001 Buffalo Bills were awful, and first year head coach Gregg Williams had a mess on his hands that felt even worse than the 3-13 mark the team threw up on the field. Two of his top three tacklers were guys named Jay Foreman and Keith Newman. A career third-stringer played 12 games at quarterback, throwing 307 passes. Their second-round pick of a running back, Travis Henry, averaging 3.4 yards-per-carry during his first season with the job.

So you can imagine that ticker tape didn't appear on the menu when Bills fans addressed their offseason needs. This team was bad. It had more holes that a men's mesh tank top, and was just as appealing to the eye.

On April 21, 2002, in multiple pops of a flash-bulb, the story and mood changed in Buffalo. The Bills had a new quarterback, and things looked great. His middle named was McQueen and he threw bullets. Buffalo had dealt their 2003 first-round pick to divisional rival New England to acquire prolific passer Drew Bledsoe, the same Bledsoe who would finish his career by totalling 3,083 yards, 20 touchdowns and just nine interceptions in 14 games against the Bills.

The story almost seems like a joke now, but try to remember just being a handful of years removed from glory and imagining the next Hall of Fame quarterback of the Buffalo Bills was coming to town. The Howard Simon Show's co-host, Jeremy White, can.

"It was legit," White writes. "Don't let anyone talk you into thinking he was totally washed-up. The Patriots only dumped him because his replacment never lost. Bledsoe was good...that parade was warranted."

It's hard-to-argue. Three Bills had "helped" the Bills throw for 18 touchdowns in 2001's miserable campaign. Bledsoe had thrown for more five times in his career since being the first pick in 1993's NFL Draft. Heck, he tossed his 18th touchdown as a Bill by Week 11 of 2002.

In three years in Buffalo, Bledsoe would throw for 10,151 yards, 55 touchdowns and 43 interceptions while being sacked an almost-absurd 140 times. In a bizarre and sad case of "got 'til it's gone," Bledsoe was run out of town after averaging 3,383 yards passing per season. Since he left, the Bills as a team haven't come close to that figure, only twice throwing for more than 3,000 yards. Only one quarterback, J.P. Losman in 2006, threw for more than 3,000 yards on his own.

Forget the failures that would come. Bills fans threw Drew Bledsoe a coronation party that in some ways would be fitting by the time he left. In a sickening decade for Buffalo football, Bledsoe was -- by far -- Bills quarterback royalty.

Fun fact: The Pats turned the 2003 first-round draft pick into defensive end Ty Warren by trading picks with Chicago. Warren's first game for New England was.... a 31-0 loss to the Buffalo Bills at Ralph Wilson Stadium on September 7, 2003.

What event also registered at No. 7? Log on Tuesday morning to find out.

Email: nick@wgr550.com

For more pathetic, self-deprecating immediate thoughts, head to twitter.com/NicholasMendola. Let's be friends.

Fool me once, shame on me.

Fool me every year since 1999, shame on... me. More shame on me. Giant giraffe-height wheelbarrows full of shame on me.

I hate sports right now...

-- The Howard Simon Show spent an hour or two this week talking about the face of the Bills for this decade. There might not be a better one than Aaron Maybin, who was offsides on a play where the Bills successfully recovered an onside kick. Now, that sentence may read like jumping the gun in a few years since defensive ends tend to start slow, but I'm comfortable saying that he might lose an IQ test battle for his life against a cucumber. Twice this year he has been offsides in terrible situations, and this one was the worst.

I didn't see the after-play, but I'd imagine Maybin was celebrating like he made a huge difference on that play. I'd bet the first-round pick of a project defensive end was gesticulating wildly like he's the Lion King. Well, seriously, this is our team this decade, and they passed on three sure-thing USC linebackers and a possible defensive rookie of the year defensive end from Texas for a project who tried to give himself a nickname by shaving "Mayhem" into the side of his head. Hey! Maybe he turns out to be a stud.

-- How did Josh Reed come down with the stink disease for a play? That fourth-quarter-fourth-down drop, too, was emblematic of the Bills struggles. He has made so many solid catches while being labeled since he was labeled "Drops" Reed for a period of time. Then again, in theory, shouldn't every play?

-- This isn't going to be a long post. I'm far-too-sour.

-- And to you, Donte Whitner? What happened, man? He's been absolutely brutal.

-- Another brutally-hard-to-swallow fact about this team in our area is the celebrations after every opposition mistake in which you played very little part.

-- Right when I was convincing myself Alex Van Pelt wasn't to blame all that much for the Bills woes, he spends another week ignoring the fact that his running backs were gashing the opposition. I feel like Fred Jackson's stat line sat at 11 carries for 73 yards for almost a full quarter.

-- Dan Dierdorf is rarely good, but he was at his worst during this one. "Good teams have good players that make better plays more often" was a close-first place in front of "This has been one of the better Bill Belichick coaching jobs of his career" and calling Josh Reed "Josh Evans." Horse-garbage sundae, Dan!

-- You could convince me it'll be another 13 losses to New England after the Bills blew two prime chances to take advantage of a down Pats team, let alone a down Pats division.

-- Another sad fact: Ryan Fitzpatrick -- as poor as he played at times -- had a much better game than Tom Brady.

-- How in the world does a defensive coordinator, defensive backs coach or head coach not know to cover Wes Welker on a 3rd-and-long with the game on the line?

-- It's sadistic, but I can appreciate that the main three critiques of Trent Edwards -- checks down too quickly, freezes in the face of a rush and is too physically fragile -- all happened during what should be his last series of plays as a Buffalo Bill. And to think, I was imagining how to react when he lead the Bills to a 14-point comeback win. Silly me.

Stat line I enjoyed:
Tom Brady, 11-for-23, 115 yards, touchdown, interception
-- I'm excited to watch them not win in the playoffs.

Stat line I didn't enjoy:
New England defense, six sacks
-- Tully "I Heart Losman" Banta-Cain had three sacks. Nice. Banta-Cain has beaten the Bills as a Pat, left for Oakland, re-signed with the Pats and beat Buffalo again. Tully bleeping Banta-Cain.

Game ball:
Paul Posluszny, nine tackles, interception, tackle-for-loss
-- I had a typo of "tackle-for-lass," but that's Tiger Woods territory. Hey-o!

Lastly...
I've watched close to 98 percent of the televised Bills games since I was seven years old. I'll watch the last two of the season as well, but please let Brian Brohm, Stevie Johnson and James Hardy play. Sign some guys you think have potential. Bench some underperforming guys, or players who need an attitude adjustment.

Next Week:
Atlanta 735, Buffalo -4.

Email: nick@wgr550.com

We here at WGR Sports Radio 550 have asked each of our staff members to submit their opinions on their five most memorable events or moments in this decade of Buffalo sports history. The hope was to create a Top Ten. Actually, hope is a terrible choice of word. The probability of getting it done is 100 percent. So, the votes were weighted (No. 1 vote worth five points, No. 2 worth four, etc.) and the number of individual mentions were used as tiebreakers. We hope you enjoy this trip down (mostly) Broken Heart Lane.

10. Buffalo Sabres at Carolina Hurricanes, Eastern Conference Finals, Game Seven, June 1, 2006

– Seriously, bleepity-bleep the first of any month for Buffalo sports. The Hasek trade, Drury/Briere-Gate and the Day of the Depleted Defenseman all took place on the date celebrated by Bone Thugs ‘N Harmony. I remember getting this text on the drive into work early that morning and thinking it was a joke.

“McKee in hospital. Might not play tonight.”

Honestly, with three regular blue liners already missing from the Eastern Conference Finals line-up, I laughed and continued my drive. Arrival at the station brought the truth: It wasn’t a rumour. It was a staph infection. A leg demon of some sorts had attached itself to Jay McKee’s old, trusty shin pad, later working its way into a cut on his leg. Already missing Henrik Tallinder, Teppo Numminen and Dmitri Kalinin, the Sabres would be without the veteran shot-absorber.

Can you name the six defensemen the Sabres suited up for Game Seven of the 2006 Eastern Conference Finals? Maybe you can now, but this question will be a prize-winner come the “Best of 2010-2019” survey. Brian Campbell, Toni Lydman, Rory Fitzpatrick, Nathan Paetsch, Jeff Jillson and Doug Janik. With all due respect to those players, if those guys were your Top Six, you might not win seven games in a year.

In retrospect it’s amazing that Sabres fans didn’t feel doomed entering that game, especially given the attitude toward Buffalo sports in 2009, but this team felt different. A colleague of mine at the station and I would have discussions about what we’re going to do when the Sabres win the Cup; where we wanted to be and who we wanted to be with… POOF. This was before medallions and waiting lists. This team was like the first month of a whirlwind romance, and it was between a city, team and fans spurned by plenty of potential lovers. We were a collection of underdogs right out of "Born To Run."

Ronald McDonald, er, Mike Commodore’s second goal of the playoffs made it 1-0 in a first period that featured just 16 total shots, and life didn’t feel all that good. Those valiant Sabres fought back however with a brilliant second period, with two goals against Carolina netminder in 4:05. First, Janik – seriously, Doug Janik – netted a shot from the right point with help from Ales Kotalik and Jochen Hecht. Then, with five seconds left in the period, Western New York leapt to the ceiling. Hecht had beaten Ward – with guys named Drury and Campbell with helpers -- and the Sabres were 20 minutes from the Stanley Cup Finals.

The Canes were not to be deterred from re-establishing the lead on their home ice, striking twice on tallies by Doug Weight and Rod Brind’Amour. One goal came when Fitzpatrick lost the puck between his feet and a screen shot beat Ryan Miller.

Surely, these Sabres wouldn’t go out on a weak goal like that!

Surely, these Sabres would muster the gumption to reclaim the lead!

Yet like “Casey at the Bat,” Sabres fans were left wanting with under a minute to play as Justin Williams’ fifth goal of the playoffs punched destiny right in the gut. Dan Hager, producer of The Howard Simon Show, remembers the night as such:

"This is the closest we had been to a championship since 'Wide Right' and I still can't believe this one didn't happen," Hager said. "When this series came to an end I knew this was our chance and we were foiled again. That team fought through injuries throughout the line-up all year long and it finally caught up to them in the end, a Game Seven loss to the Hurricanes. But I can also say that I have never had a better time in this city than during that playoff run."

There was no joy in Mudville that night, but there was an awful lot of pride.

Log-on Friday for The No. 9 Buffalo Sports Moment of the 2000s so far.

Email: nick@wgr550.com

It was a very active day in the extra-immediate reactions world known as my Twitter page. Head there for in-game posts.

The Bills may be bad, but they aren't Chiefs bad. Yeesh. Kansas City deserves a better pick than Buffalo.

And "Operation 7-9" commences...

-- I know this is a single game article, but I think a lot of folks would be open to talking about with Perry Fewell as head coach if they knew, absolutely and certainly, that the rest of the front office was overthrown.

-- The Bills are now tied with the Packers for the most interceptions in the National Football League. Who would've thought rookie safety Jairus Byrd would be leading the league in interceptions and former wide receiver George Wilson would have collected four interceptions while leading the team in tackles? Seriously, this is Buffalo football now. I'm not even complaining, but Bryan Scott and Wilson were 450th-string safeties, and now they are making pivotal plays. Coach 'em up, Per.

-- After those nice words about Wilson, the Bills definitely could've been whistled for a brutally-obvious pass interference call on the last play of the game.

-- I've got some interest in discussing Paul Posluszny as a football player. He's not the fastest dude on Earth, and he's been hurt several times, but is there a chance he's been the victim of a garbage set of linebackers? He's put up 83 tackles, a sack and two interceptions, and maybe if he was working with a ballhawk like Brian Cushing or Clay Matthews, Jr., Bills fans would feel a lot better about Pos.

-- I'm still having trouble believing Alex "Madden Playcalling" Van Pelt showed as much allegiance to the run as he should've for once, and I wonder what he would do with an actual line and quarterback. I still want Bill Cowher in here -- yeah, right -- or someone of his ilk, but if the ownership goes status quo, who knows?

-- The 2009 Buffalo Bills have reinforced what should be a universal truth: players can win without coaches, but coaches can't win without players. Perry Fewell didn't make any decisions I truly questions in Buffalo's 16-10 win in Kansas City, and the team still didn't win. Now, would Dick Jauron have made a decision to change the flow of this game? Sure. He probably would've let Bobby April fake that final Chiefs punt with just over a minute to play. Fewell's 2-2, and I believe this team would've been 7-9 with him at the helm, not that that means anything for next year. The question to ask yourself: If the Fewell-led Bills beat the Pats and either the Falcons or Colts, wouldn't you consider him at least as good an option as some other also-ran in the league?

-- Nice, big day for Marshawn Lynch and Freddy Jackson. Lynch would've had a 100-yard day in the easiest of ways if he would've just headed back to the "run people over" approach instead of trying to be an actual running back. There's something to be said for the idea of "Beast Mode," that Lynch has to play like a bull rather than do the Ickey Shuffle behind the line of scrimmage. Jackson, of course, had his standard super-steady-but-unspectacular game.

-- I've said it all year, and it may be the only true universal truth I have in stone about these Bills. They are two NFL-caliber linebackers away from being a very good defense. As much as folks talk about nose tackles being a big part of a run defense, it's usually the Brian Urlachers, A.J. Hawks and Ray Lewises that make things happen in the "gaps."

-- I want to know how Eric Wood is doing, because it'll do a lot to shape where I think the Bills need to go in the offseason. I know Fewell said he doesn't believe the leg injury to be career-threating.

-- Ryan Fitzpatrick... yeesh. I want to see Brian Brohm right now. Let's find out if there's a glimmer in ol' Bromulus and Remus. Let's see if he can be the Atomic Brohm. I'd love to know if he's a star like Brohminik Hasek. I need to know if the Bills web site should be BuffaloBIlls-dot-Brohm. Or perhaps he'll be another Bills quarterback conundrum, much like VietBrohm. Please Bills, give my awful sense of humor three weeks here.

-- By the way, Bills fans could think about welcoming Owens back next year, but I bet he sees Brandon Marshall break his record with Kyle Orton as quarterback and thinks, "What the &*^&!"

-- I kinda feel bad for Matt Cassel until I remember he's rich. With Dwayne Bowe suspended, he has almost nothing going for him.

-- Aaron Schobel is up to eight sacks, and Chris Kelsay's up to five. With a healthy Stroud and Williams, these guys are getting a bum rap from their linebackers.

-- There must be something in the water, because we can welcome Fitzpatrick to the "Hey, Lee Evans is on the team" club.

Stat line I enjoyed:
Bryan Scott, nine tackles, one sack
-- For a safety playing linebacker severely underweight, his performance has been admirable.

Stat line I didn't enjoy:
Ryan Fitzpatrick, 12-of-20, 86 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
-- That interception was one of the worst in recent history, and think about what that means.

Game ball:
The offensive line
-- This much-maligned unit only allowed two sacks, and pushed the Chiefs around for 5.7 yards-per-carry on 35 attempts. Seriously, give those hogs a hand (but then wash it. Swine flu and whatnot).

Lastly...
I've said enough. Seriously. Who even watched this one?

Next Week:
You should stop reading my predictions. I had the Chiefs winning, 20-10. In my defense, I didn't know they were clearly worse than the Bills. Honestly, would you put it past the Bills to unload on the Pats? I bet you would. New England 27, Buffalo 16.

Email: nick@wgr550.com

(WGR 550) -- Unfortunately, 82 isn't divisible by three, so 27 games is as close to one-third of the way through the Sabres season as you can get. I'll try not to be skewed by last night's toddler-effort against the Devils, but we should have a discussion about our local hockey team.

If you'll allow me to editorialize, I love the actual game of hockey, and it leads me to be harder on teams and players than I would in another sport, say, professional football, where I have a team and a handful of players in the league I find alluring, but a league that makes me want to punch myself in the throat.

So here's the harsh truth: The Buffalo Sabres are a good hockey club that needs two things -- some tough love and another scorer.

SABRES FIRST-THIRD REPORT CARD -- PART I -- GOALTENDING -- GRADE: A-
-- Ryan Miller has been absolutely outstanding for the whale's share of his season workload, and while Whiner Line callers and revisionist historians will tell you that every time he plays a bad game, Lindy Ruff made the wrong call, the truth is that Patrick Lalime has been a disappointment. Miller has quite literally been an a-plus, but the back-up goaltending has been well short of acceptable.

Miller is first in goals against average (1.90) and save percentage (.935), second in shut-outs (3) and fifth in wins (16). He's had some remarkable performances that don't show up in the post-game box score, like Nov. 28's 5-1 win over Carolina. Miller's second period was about as good as it gets, as he stood on his head to keep the score at 1-0 before the Sabres turned it on against the lowly Canes for a five-goal third period. Let's face facts -- the score would've been 3-0 against a lesser goaltender and the sad truth is that the Sabres have been known to close up shop in games like that.

PART II -- DEFENSEMEN -- GRADE: B-
-- The boys on the blue line aren't going through a good span recently, but don't let that color your analysis of their first 27 games on the whole. They've been mostly good.

Three players have played in all 27 games -- Steve Montador, Tyler Myers and Henrik Tallinder. The talk before the season was that Tallinder spent the offseason getting his mind to a carefree point where his injury problems and struggles could stay in the past. Granted he's had plus-5 and plus-3 nights on his resume, but Tallinder is arguably back to where he was when he inked a long deal to stay in Buffalo -- playing sound, unnoticed defensive hockey.

A lot of that can be linked to Myers, the young giant. Myers has had issues with the puck lately, but that's going to happen with any rookie puck-mover. The reason he keeps handling the puck is that the Sabres need to grow the guy and let him work through his errors. His reach on defense and gut-instincts on offense are uncanny, and he's starting to grow into a physical role. It seems unlikely he'll ever be a Dion Phaneuf, but more a Jay Bouwmeester.

Montador has been a welcome addition to the mentality of this team, but his on-ice play has a handful of question marks. He's physical, and his presence in front of Miller is what the team missed since Jay McKee left town. Montador is also willing to fight, though I'm not sure he qualifies as a terrific brawler. His mistakes have escalated in the past few weeks, but all-in-all, a good signing.

It hasn't been a banner 2009 for Craig Rivet. The captain is having a tough campaign, with just one assist since Nov. 11. He's a minus-2 overall, and seems to be fighting the puck on the power play. He has just three points playing five-on-five.

It's shocking to see Chris Butler pull into the station at minus-7. The lanky blueliner's poor stats could be equated with his defensive partners, because I've liked his play for most of this season. He'll be a big part of the team's future on defense. Toni Lydman has only played in 13 games this year and his giveaways are the reason people have made him such a whipping boy. The folks who say he doesn't play physical enough are taking it too far, as Lydman sometimes takes himself out of position to land a hash-mark hit. Andrej Sekera has had an improved 2009, but is far from being the Brian Campbell replacement some pundits pegged him to be. Nathan Paetsch has only played seven games, and is solid in the locker room.

PART III - OFFENSE - GRADE: C
-- Two areas plague this offense, and one isn't their fault. Let's start with what is -- inconsistent effort, something that is quick to lose you respect amongst Buffalo fans. The forwards have a bevy of members who you'll know inside of their first shift whether you like their chances to score this year.

The main protagonists in my mind -- in terms of simple effort -- are Tim Connolly and Clarke MacArthur. Connolly has registered 13 of his 21 points in five games. He has one goal and seven assists in his other 22 contests. Yes, I realize I'm taking all his multi-point games away from him, but I feel it's a valid point. Take away his four-point game in Philly, and he has just two points, both helpers, since Nov. 11. Not-so-good. MacArthur is an enigma, but he's earned some respect this year. A tiger can't change its stripes over night, and MacArthur's effort has been leaps and bounds above the moribund play we saw in his first two years. Hopefully he puts it all together.

With Derek Roy, it doesn't seem to be effort, it's commitment and smarts in his own end. Roy has the exact same numbers as Connolly so far, but chips in far more consistently. Roy needs to get away from the fancy pass, but you wonder at what point he becomes a guy who would fly higher in a system that gives him a pass on defensive zone effort, as Ruff did with Daniel Briere.

Of course, there's Thomas Vanek, who actually deserves you yelling "shoot" at him. Vanek has just 61 shots on goal, which is the main reason has has more assists (10) than goals (8) for the first time in his career. Both he and Jason Pominville get the "lazy" rap for lack of production, but it's less warranted than their teammates to be sure. Pominville is such a tough nut to crack. He gives you 100 percent effort, game-in and game-out, and he hasn't missed a game since the 2005-06 campaign. It's just that his touch is lost somewhere in limbo. He works himself into position to get many cracks at garbage goals and empty nets, only to fire it wide. At some point, I expect it to turn around. You don't spend your entire life scoring only to forget how to shoot.

Drew Stafford will do some things that amaze you, but still hasn't made that "leap" everyone expects from a highly-touted first-round pick. He's on pace for a career-high in goals, and there isn't much better than watching him successfully bull his way through a defenseman to the net with the puck. He's become much more adept at puckhandling in the zone, with the addition of a single-man cycle in the corners that is hockey beauty to watch. Jochen Hecht rounds out the top-six forward and has had a minor renaissance this year with a renewed dedication to tossing the puck on net from any angle. He has 75 shots this year, second to Pominville.

The team's most valuable forwards, if you will, are five of the "bottom six." Paul Gaustad, Mike Grier, Matt Ellis, Patrick Kaleta and Tim Kennedy have been out-performing expectations.

Gaustad and Grier are this team's heart, without question. Without Grier, this team is 2-3-1. Without Gaustad, they are just a game above .500. You wonder who else is on that bench without a suit that's making noise about hustle and effort. Gaustad's .146 shooting percentage is the best on the team, excepting Tyler Ennis' one goal on four shots, while Grier has put the term "intangibles" back in this line-up's vocabulary.

Kennedy's growth has astounded me, quite literally. He's got this chip on his shoulder the size of a boulder, and he'll finish his check against just about anyone. There's a reason his teeth look like an unfinished jigsaw puzzle, and the guy is making his hometown proud. I still wish Kaleta would fight more and better, but his role on the team is indispensable. He does his job without crossing into Daniel "Russell Hammond" Carcillo territory. Keep in mind, I wanted Carcillo on this team while he was in Phoenix, so I probably still do in my heart of hockey hearts. Anything you get from Ellis is a bonus and you've been getting a lot of good puck pressure. Adam Mair has had a lot of trouble getting going this year. That probably happens when the team puts you on waivers and you end up staying put. Awwww-kward.

PART III - FRONT OFFICE - GRADE: TBA
-- I'm not part of the small-but-fierce "fire Lindy Ruff" brigade, so you can commence writing your emails about how one of the league's most-respected coaches is a bum and not enough people realize it. In fact, I think if there are players who won't buy into a "work hard" approach, I probably don't want them on my team.

I am in a really tumultuous relationship with Darcy Regier, however. This team needs another scoring forward, and they need it yesterday. This isn't about getting better at the deadline, or before the Olympics. It's about a hellish December schedule that requires Ruff play a goaltender not named Miller several times. I've heard the names Alexander Frolov and Ray Whitney. Fine. Grab an expiring contract, give up a bit player, a line-up filler and a third-rounder and call it a day. If the Sabres miss the playoffs this year -- which they shouldn't -- it will be because this team lacks a lamp-lighter. If you're waiting for Pominville to come around, don't be silly. He probably will, and wouldn't you like to have him and another guy.

As a Whiner Line caller said, this team isn't the 1984 Oilers, and another goal scorer wouldn't give this team an embarrassment of riches. It would just give them some riches.

OVERALL GRADE: B
I predicted the Sabres to come in sixth place. They're looking a little better than that. So, if they're out-performing my expectations -- with apologies to the "Their season will be done by New Year's Day" whackos -- I've gotta go above-average. Let's talk again after game No. 55.

Email: nick@wgr550.com

How in the world does college football get away with this BCS nonsense, year-after-year? Five teams go undefeated this year. The number might've been less, but teams are too busy turning down Boise State and Texas Christian every year for non-conference because of, why? Ah yes, a loss would damage their BCS hopes.

Before we get into more rabid opinion, here are the BCS match-ups as announced by the NCAA this evening:

BCS Title Game: Alabama vs. Texas
Rose Bowl: Oregon vs. Ohio State
Sugar Bowl: Cincinnati vs. Florida
Fiesta Bowl: Texas Christian vs. Boise State
Orange Bowl: Iowa vs. Georgia Tech

That's right, the BCS has covered its flawed system by doing its best to guarantee only two undefeated teams remain after Bowl Season, and that one of them is from a non-BCS school. With all due respect to Cincinnati, a very good football team, I do not expect Florida to lose back-to-back games to end Tim Tebow's run on campus. Do you?

The only folks defending the BCS are those making gobs of green off it, but the shame is that more money could be made off of a playoff system. Cut down the non-conference slate by a week and cut down the amount of bowls, at least by two. You have 68 teams in bowl games this year. Sixty-eight out of 120 teams. That's 57 percent of all college football teams. In NCAA hoops, 65 teams make it, and there's a wealth more squads (347 -- 19 percent). Each of those 65 teams -- perish the thought -- has a look at the national title. Perish the thought.

(EDIT NOTE: Jeremy White pointed out that I didn't include the NIT or CBI schools for basketball, which would increase the percentage to 33 percent. I would counter that figure is still much smaller. I would also counter than I didn't care one iota that my UB Bulls made the CBI last year. Whoop-de-doo. I don't think they are hanging a banner (though I shouldn't speak too soon).)

Here's my imperfect fix to an miserable problem:

-- Sixteen teams (Eleven conference winners, five at-large) make a four-round playoff, ranked by their precious BCS system, with the exception of the lesser conference, which would get seeds Nos. 16, 15, 14, etc. if they were outside the Top-16. At-large Nos. 12-16 could be ticked off, but who cares? Win more games.

-- Non-conference slate knocked down to two games per team per year. This allows traditional rivalries and a cream-puff game if you need. Boise State and TCU don't have to sweat not being involved in huge non-conference games because they can make the "Biggish Dance" just by winning their conference slate.

-- Ah, the independents. No special Notre Dame clause here. The Irish go to the Big Ten, making it an even 12 teams. Put Navy and Army in the Big East, or move East Carolina and Central Florida to the Big East, and let the academies play in the weaker Conference USA. That puts 10 in the Big East. The Fighting Irish want to complain? Fine, no BCS. Handle it.

-- The Rose Bowl can still be the Grandaddy of them all, pitting the PAC-10 vs. Big Ten champs most years. It'll just be a first-round match-up. This is my biggest problem with my system, but that's because I'm a Big Ten guy. My dream is UB in the Big Ten by 2020.

-- The Fiesta, Sugar and Orange Bowls rotate the as venue for National Title game each year.

-- Pick whichever 12 other bowls make the cut. I'm sure the Cotton, Liberty, Alamo, Texas and Gator Bowls would make it most years, but let lesser or newer bowls have a shot at a first-round game every few years. Would the International Bowl mind missing out on the MAC and Big East every few years to get Florida vs. Utah? Doubt it.

So this year, it'd look like this:
Holiday Bowl - No. 16 Troy vs. No. 1 Alabama
Independence Bowl - No. 15 Central Michigan vs. No. 2 Texas
Music City Bowl - No. 14 East Carolina vs. No. 3 Cincinnati
Las Vegas Bowl - No. 13 Penn State vs. No. 4 TCU
Poinsettia Bowl - No. 12 LSU vs. No. 5 Florida
Emerald Bowl - No. 11 Virginia Tech vs. No. 6 Boise State
Liberty Bowl - No. 10 Iowa vs. No. 7 Georgia Tech
Rose Bowl - No. 9 Ohio State vs. No. 8 Oregon

Round Two (projected. What? You thought I'd go with the chalk):
Cotton Bowl - No. 11 Virginia Tech vs. No. 1 Alabama
Texas Bowl - No. 8 Oregon vs. No. 2 Texas
Alamo Bowl - No. 7 Georgia Tech vs. No. 3 Cincinnati
Gator Bowl - No. 5 Florida vs. No. 4 TCU

Round Three (projected):
Orange Bowl - No. 5 Florida vs. No. 1 Alabama
Fiesta Bowl - No. 3 Cincinnati vs. No. 2 Texas

Championship Game (projected):
Sugar Bowl - No. 2 Texas vs. No. 1 Alabama

How will the fan bases travel? I don't know, but I'm sure they will, and guess what? You'll sell more tickets with great teams than New Mexico State versus Tonawanda Tech in the Big Whammy Automotive Booger Bowl. Listen, I loved going to the International Bowl between UB and UConn last year, and I'm thinking of checking out South Florida and Northern Illinois this year. Still, how much better would that game fare as a Round One match-up between two better teams?

Is it a perfect system? No. Would it ever pass? Clearly no. Smarter folks have come up with more intelligent systems, but they don't work for this station and type in this space. This is just a way to say there is a better way. We just gotta get those rich folks on the same page with rich folk sport lovers.

Email: nick@wgr550.com

Who will the 14th-ranked United States take on in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa? Here are the groupings, announced in Cape Town this afternoon (FIFA ranking in parenthesis) with the aid of actress and South African native Charlize Theron (above):

Group A:
South Africa (86)
Mexico (15)
Uruguay (19)
France (7)

Group B:
Argentina (8)
Nigeria (22)
South Korea (84)
Greece (12)

Group C:
England (9)
United States (14)
Algeria (28)
Slovenia (33)

Group D:
Germany (6)
Australia (21)
Serbia (20)
Ghana (37)

Group E:
Netherlands (3)
Japan (43)
Denmark (26)
Cameroon (11)

Group F:
Italy (4)
Paraguay (30)
New Zealand (77)
Slovakia (34)

Group G:
Brazil (2)
North Korea (52)
Ivory Coast (16)
Portugal (5)

Group H:
Spain (1)
Switzerland (18)
Honduras (38)
Chile (17)

The United States had a terrific draw. England is a mercurial club in world competitions despite having some of the best talent in the world. Algeria and Slovenia are arguably the teams you would hope to get for the best chance of American advancement to Round Two. The Americans will begin play on June 12.

The States will play England on June 12 in Rustenberg, Slovenia on June 18 in Johannesberg and Algeria on June 23 in Tshwane/Pretoria.

Group G is inarguably the Group of Death, featuring the Nos. 2nd, 5th, 16th and 52nd ranked clubs in the world. The Irish will be displeased to learn that France has a relatively easy ride to the second round in Group A, as South Africa only qualified for the tournament as a host nation. Argentina should also be pleased after barely qualifying despite having an absolutely-loaded roster. They should make Round Two with precious little sweat.

Germany and Serbia are your Group D favorites, with Group E looking tricky. First look would think the Netherlands and Cameroon would move on, but Denmark is a tricky club and the Dutch have struggled in big-time competition, especially when favored. Italy and Slovakia would be the favorites to advance from Group F, though contending with the style of Paraguay should prove challenging.

Group H is a quietly vicious group. Expect Spain to come out alive, but any one of the other three could advance. Honduras is the type of team that will step on your throat to get the ball, while Chile has both flash and panache. Switzerland isn't flashy, but you can't sleep on them.

Any questions, Email: nick@wgr550.com For live, in-draw thoughts, head to twitter.com/NicholasMendola. This is my favorite time for sports.

So I'm developing some things we actually know about the Bills, but I need the help of everyone. I'm going to put down some simple facts about what the Bills have and need, and you tell me what to change. My hope would be that by the offseason, we can feel pretty confident about what we want the new guy in charge to do.

Before we begin, does anyone have a respectable site that keeps NFL players under contract per team we could link here? Something like the almost incomparable NHLnumbers.com?

1. The Bills need to get a No. 1 quarterback in the offseason.

2. The Bills need to get a left tackle in the offseason.

3. The Bills need to get two new starting linebackers, or one and a respected veteran No. 4 (Let alone if they make the switch to 3-4. Goodness, me).

4. The following starters can absolutely continue to start next year (if they stay 4-3):
CB- Terrence McGee
S- Jairus Byrd
DT- Marcus Stroud
DT- Kyle Williams
DE- Aaron Schobel
CB- Leodis McKelvin
RB- Fred Jackson
G- Eric Wood
G- Andy Levitre
C- Geoff Hangartner
RT- Brad Butler
WR- Lee Evans
TE- Shawn Nelson
K- Rian Lindell
P- Brian Moorman
LS- Garrison Sanborn

5. The following starters or contributors are probably fall too far down on the "priority to find someone better" list:
LB- Kawika Mitchell
LB- Paul Posluszny
WR3- Josh Reed (UFA)
TE2- Derek Schouman
DT3- Spencer Johnson

6. If the Bills had better linebackers, or even a relatively healthy corps of linebackers, this defense would be adequate against the run. So start there in free agency.

(Linebacker is my favorite position -- during freshman football at Kenmore East, I wanted to be Chris Spielman or Chris Slade (seriously) -- so let me opine here. I really wanted the Bills to sign Demeco Ryans, but the Texans offered him Top-Five linebacker money in February and he declined. He's had a not-so-elite season this year. The list of free agent linebackers is extremely respectable/intriguing: http://www.footballsfuture.com/2010/fa/lb.html).

7. Time to say goodbye. You don't have to leave the league, but you gotta get out of here (via trade, release or walking). Good luck:
CB- Ashton Youboty
OL- Seth McKinney
QB- Trent Edwards
RB- Marshawn Lynch (Fine for the field, not for the locker room)

(EDIT NOTE: There has been a lot of reaction to this Lynch comment, so I'd love to clarify. I've loved Lynch as a running back up until this year, where he's been inconsistent. I used to love his personality, which was considered private and quirky up until some incidents made him look like private is just cold. He's still young (23), but is he good enough talent-wise to get past the fact that he's one mistake away from being suspended for a half-season or worse? Those are the things worth talking about. I don't understand for a minute the sentiment that Jackson is more talented, or that Lynch wouldn't run for 1,250 yards somewhere else. He's better than McGahee, and Willis put up 1,438 total yards and eight touchdowns his first year in Baltimore. You can navigate a bad offensive line as a QB. Not-so-much a RB).

LT- Jonathan Scott
WR- Roscoe Parrish
DT- John McCargo

8. FYI: Potential UFAs: DE Ryan Denney, OLB Chris Draft, S Todd Johnson, OG Seth McKinney, WR ­Terrell Owens, WR Josh Reed, S-LB Bryan Scott.
Potential RFAs: OLB Keith Ellison*, TE Derek Schouman, OT Jonathan Scott, S George Wilson*, CB Ashton Youboty*.
(courtesy Pro Football Weekly)

Order of importance:
1. Reed
2. Schouman (provided he's healed right. Scary injury).
3. Draft (depth)
4. Denney (depth)

Anyone else is debatable. There is nothing universal about discussing Owens' potential role in 2010.

9. I think Ryan Fitzpatrick is an acceptable back-up quarterback.

10. (Your comment here)...

Email: nick@wgr550.com

For more international in-game thoughts, head to twitter.com/NicholasMendola.

I'm going to type this while watching Oregon State try to complete its "upset" of Oregon in the hopes of watching entertaining football.

Hey! Did you know this game was in another country?

-- This game tried so hard to make me hate the National Football League, and when it wasn't doing its best to make me hate that, it made me hate the fact the Bills have home games in Toronto. Wow. Thank goodness for the Saints, Colts, Vikings, Eagles, Chargers, Bengals and college ball. That's really about it.

-- So... at least the 71 people worldwide who think Ryan Fitzpatrick has a shot to be the future of the Bills now know better, and tell me that offense didn't look Dick Jauron-esque tonight. There will still be time to evaluate who the next coach should be, and if Perry Fewell deserves a look, but I promise you the Bills need better offense before anything else, and that starts with quarterback, not coach. In fact, if I could only select one, I'd rather have a new general manager than a new head coach.

-- He's a horrible off-the-field guy and has been a before the line of scrimmage mess all year long, but it was too easy to forget the talent of Marshawn Lynch.

-- A Twitter gentleman titled "douglasgoodman" Tweeted: "garbage soup." I couldn't agree more.

-- The real rub of this game is it proved -- like the Jacksonville game -- that the Bills aren't all that far from being a borderline playoff team. Quarterback, left tackle and two linebackers are the major changes next year. Seriously, when all under-contract players are healthy (Eric Wood, Leodis McKelvin, Terrence McGee, Brad Butler), this team could be alright with the right general manager calling shots. Maybe a safety beside Byrd is needed, but the pass rush was terrific and the injury-depleted secondary wasn't putrid.

-- If this isn't making sense to you, remember: you got to get drunk and go right to bed. I'm trying to make this game entertaining for you.

-- I know Fewell and Alex Van Pelt poo-pooed the notion earlier this week, but I'm ready to see Brian Brohm. Maybe he deserves an extra week or two to learn the system, but there's no excuse worth keeping him on the bench. I need to know if I need one quarterback or two next year (I still don't hate Fitz on the roster). I also don't need to see Trent Edwards the rest of the way. Each game with a remarkably average quarterback like Fitzpatrick, I'm realizing that Edwards is below even mediocre description.

-- Matt Millen and Bob Papa made Rich Gannon look more intelligent (but still not nearly as irritating). The more I do play-by-play without murdering broadcasts, the more I find the horrible analysts in pro football to be inconceivable. Hire someone good!

-- The bit on Darrelle Revis and how he picked out his cleats really completed the "boring documentary" feel of this game.

-- Another indictment of this linebacking corp: secondary members recorded three of the four top tackle numbers in this game (Wilson-10, Scott-9, Florence-7, Whitner-6). Lest we forget: Scott is a former safety.

-- I'd say Van Pelt should've run more. Fred Jackson was getting nothing done, but Lynch had his two best runs this year (Not of all-time, as a down-on-23 Twitter member remarked).

Stat line I enjoyed:
Aaron Schobel, seven tackles, one sack
-- Even though the Jets victimized him to the outside a time or two, he continues to prove that last year's foot injury is what made him appear washed up.

Stat line I didn't enjoy:
Ryan Fitzpatrick, 9-of-23, 98 yards, three sacks, interception
-- His performance could be summed up in one word: Losmanesque.

Game ball:
The defensive line (Schobel,

Lastly...
I still hate that the Bills play any games in Toronto, and I felt like the folks shown on camera in Bills body paint were paid by Canadian Parliament. Canada's a solid place with solid people who would like their own team, but are fine with the CFL. I guess we can find solace in the fact that the Rogers Communications money from this robbery could go to the Bills coaching search.

Next Week:
Snooze fest: KC's defense was better before San Diego exploited them last week, but let's be honest: Ryan Fitzpatrick's accuracy will be the difference between a win and a loss. After last week, I would've deemed the Bills able to win at Arrowhead. After the Jets game... not-so-much. Chiefs 20, Bills 10.

Email: nick@wgr550.com

Here types a very frustrated man pondering this question: What is celebrity really like? With high-profile secret prostitutes and the apparent kinship between those lucky enough to squeeze themselves in front of a television or movie camera, I have to wonder if Hollywood and professional sports aren't quite literally in another dimension, like "Lost." Where else can some waste who brings her boyfriend on a reality show to try and save their relationship end up shacking up -- allegedly -- with one of the world's most famous men?

Yes, Tiger Woods reportedly shared the same high-society "dating partner" as Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez. Hey! It's the Boys Club. What a treat for a lady to be wanted by famous people!

Woods also has allegedly -- thanks, US Weekly! -- carried on a three-year relationship with a girl who appeared on "Tool Academy." Wait, does that mean the ruthless manchild she brought on VH-1 to save her relationship was all an act? Oh my! Scandalicious.

All of the sudden swearing after a bad shot seems like a four-year-old earing Play-doh. Whoops.

I wanted to type an article about the supposed death of fidelity, and how much it disgusts me that cheating has slipped down the moral reprehensibility pole, right near road rage and spanking your children (perish the thought). I've heard enough guys over the years drop that, "For every hot girl you see, there's a guy tired of her garbage" to know that I'll just be looked at as a "starry-eyed newlywed" for thinking a vow is something worth attempting to see through. It seems most folks are much more concerned with the fact that Woods could cheat on "such a hot broad" as opposed to the fact that he was cheating at all (Cause we all know if she was a Chubbs McGrubbs, it would be totally understandable).

Instead, I kinda want to use this space to thank Woods for another reminder: he's not Tiger, he's a human being. Maybe worse than that, he's a celebrity, which seems to lend itself more towards the dirtball side of being a dude than the Tim Tebow-side. And there's a huge flaw in my argument right there. Why should I assume that Tebow's example is worth even a sniff? What's worth believing? Isn't his crystal-meth confession and hate of all things holy sure to come? Forget if he can throw a football far enough for your professional liking.

I think the bigger issue here is people like to think there are those who are "larger than life," but Nelson Mandela doesn't do reality shows and Gandhi was assassinated. So we take guys like Woods and try to present them as Jimmy Stewart: classy gentlemen whose quirkly illegal moments involve smuggling a supposed yeti out of India in his wife's luggage. We like to think there's a gulf of difference between Woods and John Daly, but maybe it's all in presentation. It's Hooters versus Nike, 84 Lumber versus Buick. Which corporation is going to be better suited by a public persona, not the man underneath?

I've been around sports long enough to know that what's reported is often just an iota of the real story. Your favorite centerfielder in an 1-for-23 slump? Well, he maybe just got dumped by his wife because he thought the word "road trip" meant "bar room bordello," or maybe he's dropping his shoulder on contact (with the ball, during an at-bat. Sicko.

Maybe the way to take things is to just do what Dan Hager says: just watch the game and ignore whether or not these guys and gals are doing anything other than eating and sleeping off the court/field/box office. Maybe, or perhaps a better lesson is to realize these folks are all the same. Some of them just make a lot more money than us, and forget -- if they ever knew -- that we all live on the same Earth.

Who cares if Mr. Woods talks? Unless this is all proven wrong, he's lost significant standing with me. Like long-admired actors and short-admired running backs with cool nicknames, he's just another talented human being. Another person who simply can't be content with what he's been blessed -- a terrific life with a beautiful young family.

I don't think anyone should have to share their private life as long as they aren't doing anything wrong, but if Woods wants to start his reconciliation with society, as embarrasssing a necessity as that is for our society, he'd do well to come clean. At least come partly clean, and admit frailty. He's no longer the picture of the American Dream, but inasmuch, he can become more a human being. As The Tragically Hip's Gord Downie so eloquently sang in "Now the Struggle Has a Name":

"Now, the apology done
Applause can begin
Now, the apologies done
Applause begins

If it bleeds, it leads
If it cries, it flies
If it feeds, a need
If it dies, it dies...

Now the struggle has a name
We are the same, it hasn't changed
I still feel the same."

In my understanding, the more human we are, the more we connect. The more "above-it-all" we act, as in Mr. Woods' case, the more you just look like a jerk. It all comes clean in the wash, right? Mike Robitaille just asked Howard Simon why we weren't talking about the 30,000 soldiers slated to head to Afghanistan after President Obama's speech last night.

Why would we? Some guy we like might be a jerk to his wife.

Email: nick@wgr550.com

Something hasn't struck me right about the "Don't overplay Ryan Miller, he's going to the Olympics" talk, and today I found a pretty good reason why.

It's knowledge out there for everyone to find, but in the 2002 Stanley Cup Finals, the Carolina Hurricanes fell to the Detroit Red Wings, as former Sabre netminder Dominik Hasek outdueled Arturs Irbe to win a ring.

Well, it appears that in the 2002 Winter Olympic games in Salt Lake City, held just a few months before the Cup Finals, Irbe played for Latvia in preliminary round action in Utah, while Hasek manned the pipes for the Czech Republic. That tournament, too, was held in North America.

So, while backup goaltending is a major concern for the Sabres -- and we should see a No. 2 goaltender more often, as I pointed out last month -- there is precedence to keep you with as little worry as a Buffalo sports fan can have.

(To be clear, I prefer a Cup to a Gold. Not sure I made that as clear as I'd like on the air today).

Email: nick@wgr550.com