I'm sick of failures so awful we have to name them.

There's a laundry list of them, you know. From your "Homerun Throwbacks" to your "No Goals" and back again, there's a sickening, stench-filled sack of titles for our sports misery, and now the cupboard has become so bare that even Old Mother Hubbard's headed straight for sequel territory, and she still has to choose between two monumental repeats.

"Wide Right 2" or "The Monday Nighter 2."

If pressed, I'd choose the latter, because even though this one ended dreams and shattered hopes, it won't end with a crowded town square saluting the courage of a kicker who failed on the nation's biggest stage. No, this one's not even over, at least not until the audience tastes the leftovers with every bitter bite of what's sure to be a half-inspiring romp in Kansas City on Sunday.

The truth is, I'm left trying to find something left in my guts that isn't bruised from another series of kicks to the ribs. This is the recurring dream where I wake up and run my tongue over my teeth to make sure they didn't all fall out. Well, my abdomen hurts, I can't really chew and I feel like running my cheeks over a belt-sander.

I'd say, "This is Buffalo sports," but it isn't. It's truly much worse than a title.

Onto the game (in brief, I promise)...

-- Trent Edwards' massive failures hurt even more because the offensive line was borderline heroic, at least relative to their play in Weeks Two through Ten. You can have your Rian Lindell miss, and your three-consecutive running plays leading up to said miss, but Edwards made two throws all evening in an otherwise miserable performance.

How bad was he? Besides the three interceptions in the first 11-and-a-half minutes? Well, he played scared, which is the worst kind of quarterbacking to play, or watch. Edwards was so gunshy that of his 16 completions, 10 went to his feature back, Marshawn Lynch, and I'm not sure more than three were clearly past the line of scrimmage.

His No. 1 wideout, Lee Evans, was open almost all evening. He didn't find him once. Not once.

He was throwing against a defense that was giving up more than 225 yards-per-game, and came up with 148.

His quarterback rating, if you're into this, is 19th amongst starters.

Only six passers have more interceptions than Edwards, and of them, only J.T. O'Sullivan has thrown as few as the Bills starter's eight touchdowns.

In his last four games, he is 74-of-119 for 784 yards, with three touchdowns and eight interceptions.

He was wildly inaccurate, even in his completions. Looked a lot like J.P. Losman.

Just brutal stuff. No injury excuse. No scapegoat offensive line. Just this man wearing No. 5.

-- Marshawn Lynch was, surprisingly, a monster with all the blocking. Twenty-three runs for 119 yards from the man with the "Beast Mode," who also hauled in 10 passes for 58 yards. His touchdown was a thing of beauty, as was his season-long 28-yard run. He was magnificient.

-- Speaking of running games, I heard folks dogging the Bills defense because of Jerome Harrison's 72-yard touchdown run, but that's ill-advised. It would've been a big run in any event, but Terrence McGee was being held like a newborn by Braylon Edwards, right in front of the official. Jamal Lewis was held largely in check.

-- Kawika Mitchell made some nice plays. He also made a really dumb one. You know what the best part about personal fouls made three yards out-of-bounds is? Nothing. He's a veteran who's won a Super Bowl, remember?

(***Edit note: I was at the game, and I've received several emails telling me the hit was in bounds. It definitely didn't look that way on the field, and they didn't show a replay. Speaking of which, they did a great job of "slow-mo-ing" questionable calls on the scoreboard. Great work).

-- Lindell's been so good for so long that it's hard for me to ... sorry, my brain just exploded.

-- The box score accurately states that Terrence McGee defended six passes. Six passes. Even though he was still too far off his receivers on several plays, it was a very good performance, particularly on the last break-up to Braylon Edwards before Phil Dawson, well, you know.

-- Marcus Stroud was dynamite.

-- Clearly, this was the best game of Leodis McKelvin's career. Don't look now, but he's third in the league in yards-per-kick-return (29.0), and first in total kick return yards (1,073). No one in the league has more than his one kick return touchdown. The dropped interception wasn't fun, but it was at least a tough a catch as Ko Simpson's dropped pick.

Stat line I enjoyed:
Lynch, 23 carries, 119 yards; 10 receptions, 58 yards, TD
-- Marshawn and his line were very good, and he also made several terrific blitz pick-ups. He's coming into his own, and it's been hard to notice because of his teammates.

Stat line I didn't enjoy:
Lee Evans, 0 catches
-- I'm not even sure Trent Edwards threw at him multiple times, and from field level, you could tell Evans was open. Often.

(Bills) Game ball:
Lynch, with a nod toward Stroud and Brad Butler, who was clearly playing hurt.

Lastly...
It's sickening. I'm not sure what else to say. The emotional cupboard is bare.

Next week:
Kansas City has the second-worst rush defense in the league, so good news for Turk Schonert: you don't have to throw. The Chiefs are allowing 165.4 yards on the ground per game. They've also only sacked opposing quarterbacks a league-low six times, five less than second-worst Cincinnati. The Chiefs' offense is also terrible, and despite the Bills morale, it's unlikely Buffalo will lose. Bills 24, Chiefs 23.

Finally...

I was convinced it would be good. I guess I should've known better?

Maybe "The Nightmare on Abbott Road?"

Email: nick@wgr550.com

How do I post a column involving the NBA? Easy! Post a picture of the towel they'll be giving out at the Ralph this evening. Otherwise, this entry is a journey around sports, with a prediction of Monday Night's contest to boot. Call it "No Immediacy" or "Delayed Reactions" or something.

Here we go... starting with Pro Football...

-- The web poll on our main site says "Who is under the gun tonight?" and, fair or unfair, the answer is Trent Edwards. He's played poorly for several weeks, has a Monday Night Football memory to erase, and struggled in poor weather during his rookie campaign. It will not be the world's prettiest criticism if the Bills lose to the Browns, especially if No. 5 has a rough night. I'm standing by last week's prediction of 17-14, Buffalo. If I'm wrong... it's going to be a cold walk to the car. A really cold walk to the car. A really cold, stupid walk to the car.

-- It helps that they were playing the Dolphins, but Jamarcus Russell is making life really hard on me. I'm pulling for him to succeed despite the fact that I don't like the Raiders very much, with the exception of Russell and UB's own Trevor Scott (16 tackles and 3.0 sacks in 10 games). If it helps, I'd rank him the fourth best Scott in the NFL, behind Bart Scott (LB, BAL), Scott Fujita (LB, NO) and Jake Scott (G, SD). He's a "smidge" ahead of Buffalo's Bryan Scott, due only to youth. Apologies to New Orleans' linebacker Scott Shanle and New England punter Scott Player. And former Bills wide-out, and current Chiefs receiver, Scott Mayle.

-- The Arizona Cardinals are on the verge of clinching the NFC West after dispatching the No. 2 seed San Francisco 49ers for the second time this year. At 7-3, they are a win and 49ers loss away from guaranteeing the most wins in the division. Terrible. Their non-division wins are over Buffalo, Miami and Dallas, so perhaps this isn't your normal NFC West cake walk.

College football...

-- Great weekend story on the UB Bulls. My wife was at a local supermarket picking up our weekly dinners, when she found herself behind a couple of Bulls' football players in an aisle. It took her 10 minutes to get down said aisle, because the players were stopped by three separate shoppers for congratulations on their D-I program record sixth win, by way of a thrilling 43-40 overtime road win over Akron. Note to ESPN or Time Warner, can someone PLEASE pick up coverage of Friday night's match-up at Bowling Green? A Bulls win would clinch the MAC East, a berth in MAC Championship Game in Detroit (roooooooooad trip) and, in all likelyhood, a Bowl game.

-- More thanks to Michigan head man Rich Rodriguez, who continues to make me throw up in my mouth. A program-record eighth loss in an average-at-best Big Ten assures me that this isn't a simple case of "tough rebuilding." The shady way he allegedly gave shredding West Virginia personnel files before last season's Fiesta Bowl got him off on the wrong foot with me, and his inability to manage a game hasn't helped me at all, either. I'm sure he'll right the ship, but just Googling "Rich Rodriguez allegations" is a blast. For the first time in years, it's hard for me to even joke "Go Blue, Go Ann Arbor" to Buckeye fans like Dan Hager and the Koziol boys leading up to the rivalry game.

Pro Hockey...

-- Ah, the Sabres. Immensely-talented, but sometimes too easy to rattle. A lot of people felt Buffalo was holding their weight against PIttsburgh before folding in a 5-2 loss, but the whole game I had this eerie feeling that a Penguins tying-goal would cripple the team's chances.

Being in Boston for last Saturday's Bruins/Sabres game helped me to realize two things. One, the Sabres need another big guy to be a top-tier, whether it be a more-offensively-productive Paul Gaustad or a new face. Two, the Bruins have an outstanding physical team, and I would trade most assets to get Milan Lucic. Boston's big man is a beast, and he scares me. Like Donte Whitner combined with a monster. Watch this fight (Every fight should look like this). Watch this hit (He leaves his feet and I don't much care). Watch him go to the net. And helpers, too.

Pro Hoops...

-- This goes out to the "Shaq stinks" people. Really? The Suns are 8-3 with that "washed-up bum" their second-leading scorer. Perhaps a less-ego driven coach than Mike D'Antoni (although the now-up-tempo Knicks are 6-4 under the man) who will use O'Neal as an asset was a good idea. Terry Porter is using a big-man first approach, with O'Neal and Amare Stoudemire averaging 32.3 points- and 16.9 rebounds-per-game.

On Sunday, the Suns beat the Pistons after O'Neal was kicked out of the game. He has scored 29 points in two road games, leading the team to wins at Milwaukee and Sacramento. He's also twice paced the team in assists. In a beat-up Pacific, Phoenix has a shot at a home-court first round.

--For those who don't know, I'm calling play-by-play for the area's new professional basketball team, the Buffalo Stampede of the Premier Basketball League. Syracuse Orange legend Roosevelt Bouie is the color analyst, and Dan Hager will be helping out as well. Greg Bauch and I have discussed dunk calls, and you're probably going to want to tune in to our sister staion, WWWS, Triple Gold Soul, for the games.

Soccer (or Nobody Cares, Vol. I)

-- A disappointing college note... UB fell to Northern Illinois, 1-0, in the Mid American Conference semi-finals. It's a shame, because they were talented enough to play in the NCAA tourney after a 12-4-4 campaign that included a seven-plus game shut-out streak for Tonawanda's Bobby Shuttleworth, who was named All-MAC. I called several of their games this year, and they had a chance to be nationally-ranked before falling to Akron, 2-0. The Zips are one of the nation's finest, and worth rooting for the MAC going forward.

-- My Newcastle United Magpies once again pulled a draw from the mouth of victory. After giving up a remarkable goal to lowly Wigan Athletic in the third minute of Saturday's contest, they got a lucky red card and scored two against 10 men before giving two points back with minutes left to play. I don't think NUFC will be relegated, but the soap opera hell of 2008 continues.

-- Do you have a club you follow? Please email me who to nick@wgr550.com. I'd like to get a list together so I can keep my eye out for listener notes. I know Manchester United, Arsenal, FC Barcelona, Fiorentina and Tottenham Hotspur have somewhat of a following in the area.

Hey, Kobe Bryant (Lionel Messi) and Brooks Orpik (Ronaldinho) have favorite players. Why can't you?

College hoops...

-- The UB men are 1-0 after a road win Saturday over Youngstown State. Dare to dream, Bulls fans. One week until the home opener, and the return of the "when will Reggie Witherspoon tear off his sport jacket in disgust?" game. It's one of the Big Four's best.

-- The Bonnies are 1-0 after topping Robert Morris, 72-62. Canisius 0-1 after falling to Akron, 52-42. Niagara topped Towson, 79-62, and is also 1-0.

Thanks for reading, and talk to you soon: nick@wgr550.com

Now that the Sabres have erased much of Saturday's debacle in Boston from my mind, I think it's about time to reflect on a weekend in New York and New England that was a legitimate good time, despite big time Buffalo bungles in Boston and Foxboro.

Friday "Are those Iced Coffee Drinks Man-Acceptable? Cause They're Delicious"
As much as my job is basically "following sports," it's always good to take a day off, and as wild as it sounds, the drive to New York City on my own was a nice change. Here are the albums that made the cut for the first leg of the road trip:

"The Motown Box", Disc One and Two
Uncut Magazine compilation, "Tribute to The Band"
Bruce Springsteen and The E-Street Band, "Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J."
Bob Dylan, "Blonde on Blonde"
Bob Dylan, "Nashville Skyline"
Sigur Ros, "Hvarf/Heim"
My Morning Jacket, "It Still Moves"
Miracle of 86, "Every Famous Last Word"
Matthew Good Band, "Beautiful Midnight"
The Beatles, "Abbey Road"
Bruce Springsteen, "Nebraska"
Q-Tip, "Amplified"
Wilco, "A Ghost Is Born"
The New Chemistry demo

I made it into New Jersey just in time for a toll booth attendant to tell me I was going the wrong way, which would've been helpful if I actually was going the wrong way. The Lincoln Tunnel was actually the first exit after her booth, and I politely informed her that she owes me $5.85 the second time I went through and by politely, I mean that my mom would've given me quite the scowl and maybe a slap.

You want to know why living in Buffalo is great? Because you don't pay tolls every two miles, unless you're going into Grand Island, the Southtowns or toward Rochester. I'm talking $2 every couple minutes, $5.85 NJ 'Pike toll here, $8 Tunnel toll there, $18/hour for parking in Manhattan... and we're not even getting into Boston, which is better, but still awful.

Regardless, I made it to Stout Pub to see the FA Cup, the trophy awarded to the team in English soccer who wins a huge knock-out tournament. The competition's been around since 1871-72, and former Newcastle United defender Warren Barton was there on behalf of Setanta Sports and Fox Soccer Channel. I don't have that picture back yet, but here's a couple fellow Magpies fans and me with the trophy.


To those who know soccer, please save the "that's the closest Geordies will ever get to the Cup" talk. It's been 53 years. We know.

After paying some undeserving attendant for driving my car about 25 feet, I met up with the elder of my two sisters in Astoria, in Queens (or near Queens, I don't get it, really. I should start telling people I live in "The Parker," in the "Town of Tonawanda"). We met up with her boyfriend and headed off to Terminal Five to see a couple solid bands, The Drive-By Truckers and The Hold Steady.


The Hold Steady were tremendous, except for one song.

Here's the thing abou stereotypes of NYC -- they are on full display at a concert. First of all, a dripping water spout above us turned out to, well, not be water at all. So we left space in front of us, which means folks plowed in front of us for those glorious three feet of puddle. Needless to say, it was worth the skewed sightline to literally watch people, well, you know, stand under the leaking bathroom.

Both bands are and were tremendous, but here's my one beef. For an encore, The Hold Steady came out and played three or four songs before bringing Patterson Hood and the Truckers out for a couple jams, one of which was Blue Oyster Cult's "Burning For You," or whatever it's called. It was fairly in jest, but it's pretty much a terrible song. I realize they won't be pulling out "Don't Fear the Reaper," but tongue-in-cheek "classic rock" is much better served by something like "Psycho Killer" or a solid Neil Young rocker.

I then slept well, with visions of beating the Bruins dancing in my head.

Saturday "Wouldn't it be nice if we could peel the Bruins off the Sabres for a minute?"
After a little too late of a start, we hit the road to meet up with my brother, who goes to school in Rhode Island, and my younger sister, who had a job interview in Boston. Because I can, here are some of the co-selected CDs for the journey:

Centro-matic, "Operation Motorcide EP" ((playing Saturday at the Mohawk, by the way) Come hang out))
The Drams, "Jubilee Dive"
My Morning Jacket, "It Still Moves"
Grand Champeen, "The One That Brought You"
Pete Yorn, "Day I Forgot"
Uncut Magazine compilation, "Tribute to The Band"

Luckily for us being under the gun to get TD Banknorth Garden on time, we had to ride a crowded train that included Boston College and Notre Dame fans headed to "The Holy War" in Chestnut Hill. In case you haven't seen "The Departed," "Good Will Hunting" or "Boondock Saints," apparently 94 percent of Bostonians are Irish, so this was an interesting "T" ride.

We arrived at the Garden just late enough to miss Tim Connolly's goal, but we didn't figure it would be a big deal. The Sabres would score plenty of goals on Manny Fernandez, right?

Right?


Good seats, surrounding by solid, young Bruins fans. I hate them a little less, especially considering they laid the wood to the Sabres, "old-time hockey"-style, and hopefully woke them up for that St. Louis game.

First off, the nachos were first-class, maybe the best I've had in any stadium, including the Jacobs/Progressive Field offerings. Secondly, Milan Lucic is a monster. I would trade almost anyone for him. All he wants to do is hit, but he can score and pass as well. Big, big fan, and I think Blake Wheeler's going to be something nasty if he figures out the game.

Lastly, was it a touch too much to expect a single body check or some fight from the Sabres? I know they traveled the night before, but there were times, sitting there in fairly expensive seats I bought for my sisters, brother and friend, that I wish I had some knives to hide in my brain for an hour. It was brutal, but it was also "Veterans Night" at the Garden, and they had some really cool vignettes honoring all the troops who were in attendance. I guess there were worse nights to watch your team lose on the road.

After that, we went to Bobby Orr's bar/restaurant, "Fours," which was a tremendous place, voted the No. 2 sports bar in America or something like that (Apparently, the No. 1 is in Boston, too, and like a block away. Weird). Two of my truly good friends from Massachusetts met us there, and Paul Hamilton sauntered down after finishing his post-game appearance with Brian Koziol (a fan asked for a slice of Paul's moustache, but he refused to deliver). All-in-all, a fun night with family, and my brother and I were jazzed for our first Bills road game the next day.

Sunday "At Least the Tailgate Was Awesome"

To stay with the program, here was the music selection from our hotel in Boston to Foxboro, in stadium traffic:

The Strokes, "Room on Fire"
The Old Sweethearts, "Arms of The Town"

The drive in wasn't awful, even with only two or three lanes leading up to Gillette Stadium. My brother borrowed one of those Garmin GPS things, and it was kind of awesome how much technology has grown from "Mom reading a map to Dad and Dad telling her it was wrong" (Not my parents, no way, just guessing).

Here's where cost really became a pain, and I can equate this to the Ralph to make it easier on you. We parked about as far a walk as that fire hall all the way down Abbott Road. Twenty bucks, no joke. There were folks who parked at the equivalent of "Kettles" or "Bert's"... Forty bucks.

How about the ECC lots? or close to Danny's South?

Fifty Dollars.

Fifty.

Dollars.

God bless Western New York. I guess Massachusetts makes up for what they don't tax in parking fees.

Anyway, no joke, one of the most fun parts of our pregame antics was checking out all the old Pats jerseys. You know how you love to notice the Steve Christie or Phil Hansen jerseys at the Ralph? How about Tebucky Jones, Drew Bledsoe and Willie McGinest. It was fun.

Jeremy White told me that hanging out in a new stadium would change my thoughts on the Ralph forever, and that was half-true. Gillette Stadium is massive, and the sighlines are very good.


How nice of Steve Grogan to wear his game day Starter jacket into the stands.

Here's the one thing that stunk about their stadium. They have a "16-0 Regular Season" banner, and it looked so cheesy. Maybe that's why they kept it as far as humanly possible from their Super Bowl Championship banners. Other than that, and the fact that the fans are dead -- relative to Orchard Park -- for most of the game, the place is great.

Their official tailgate party has lunch, drinks and dessert you'd normally find at an expensive buffet. There is a mall and Cineplex attached to the stadium to help traffic ease out. Nothing says, "Wind down from a football game," like watching "Changeling." I bet there are a ton of people in New England who think Dane Cook is legitimately funny from viewing films after too much tailgating.

Maybe the best part of the game, especially considering the boring game was accompanied by the Bills underperforming, was when the 40-0 Jets over St. Louis halftime score flashed, and I got to hear the thickest Boston accent ever say, "Oh, I wunda if weer gunna heeah bout New Yawk runnin up the scoahr all week. Wicked."

After taking that long walk back to our car, where Sam and I conducted the world's longest post-game show, with a focus on Trent Edwards and Jason Peters, I drove him back to his school in Providence, where I had some solid college flashbacks while playing a game of Madden with him in his dorm room (For the record, I won, despite playing my first game of Madden on XBox 360. Take that, youngin'.

The music on the long ride home ranged from Neil Young to NWA to a Christian CD (I think I reviewed all the CDs as part of one blockbuster show. It was probably outstanding). For my thoughts on the actual game, head here.

Otherwise, thanks for reading, and let's go Bulls (Thursday night on ESPNU against Akron).

Email: nick@wgr550.com

P.S. My road record, like many Buffalonians, is not-so-good:

Bills: 0-1
Sabres: 1-5
UB basketball: 1-2
UB football: 1-5
Bisons: 2-0* (I was in a taxi to the airport when they coughed up a lead in Norfolk in the finale of the series. Come on, Ben Wagner. I was counting on you).

To my readers who do not mind a column that's pretty unrelated to sports, but relative to the concept of America,

It began almost exactly four years ago, to the day. I had a good load of scruff, and struck up a conversation with a good friend in which we discussed the benefits, both physical and alliterative, of not shaving for the entire month of November.

Today, I bring this tradition, and discussion, to you.

Please, do not shave this November. My main reason is this... do you think the pilgrims shaved on their trip over to the New World? When they sat down to that first meal after a morning of playing Turkey Bowl football with their old high school buddies, do you think they had clean faces?

Rather, isn't it more likely they had icicles on their wonderful beards, with gravy grasping hold of those same follicles? In my opinion, and certainly 'Sheed's, it is.

So it is with great honor that invite all of you men, and however many of you women would like to find a way to contribute, to join in "No Shave November." There is a facebook group created by one of Dan Hager's pals -- the esteemed rugby player, Clarence Picard -- devoted to our month-long affair. Feel free to find it, and join.

The rules are as follows:

-- You may only trim your neckline and cheek bones, with a few exceptions:

A) You have a job interview and are not adept at trimming a nice beard

2) You're getting married

-- Don't shave.

I know this isn't sports-related, but Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of the year, and I think most people should celebrate it with a nice facial garden. Let's face it, once the pilgrims had that first meal and shaved, they turned into some pretty terrible characters.


If you love America, keep it growing,
Nicholas J. Mendola
Email: nick@wgr550.com

The Buffalo Sabres have had between 15 and 23 captains in their history, depending on if you feel the rotating captains should be counted, which I won't for our purposes. For the record, if people spoke of Sabres captains like they do of popes, I'd be on my 11th captain, as I didn't ever see the 'C' on Danny Gare's sweater.

So here is my fairly-educated ranking of Sabre skippers:

14. Floyd Smith (1970-71) -- What else can be said about Floyd Smith, the first captain of the team? Well, he was born on May 16, 1935 in Perth, Ontario. Good on you, Floyd.

13. Alexander Mogilny (1993-94) -- Extortion attempts, aviatophobia and a 76-goal campaign doesn't make him any more of a resounding leader in my book, just a fun Sabre.

12. Gerry Meehan (1971-74) -- I have to admit my only knowledge of Meehan is as a general manager. He came to Buffalo from the Seattle Totems, and had the best years of his career with the Sabres, with more than 46 points in all four season in Buffalo.

11. Daniel Briere (2005-2007) -- There may be a lot of email hate for slotting Briere this low, and he was an awesome guy in the community, as well as vocal with the media, but there was a little too much unsteadiness in both his exit and playoffs for me to move him ahead of anyone in front of him. Great times, though.

10. Stu Barnes (2001-2003) -- Quiet, steady, confident. He took over after a captain-less year, and played hard every night. Maybe he should be a little lower, but I have a fondness for Stu Barnes.

Is it just me, or did Stu Barnes have either a tiny head, or a really big helmet?

9. Lindy Ruff (1987-89) -- Lindy was traded for the pick that became Richard Smehlik. He plays golf right- and left-handed.

8. Danny Gare (1977-82) -- Tied for the longest-tenured captain with Gilbert Perreault and Pat LaFontaine. Was dynamite, notching over 50 goals twice and 40 goals thrice. Tough, smallish forward who never registered less than 70 penalty minutes.

7. Michael Peca (1997-2000) -- Will his reputation stand the test of time? I hope so. I remember the offensive highlights, like a legitimately wonderful goal against Hartford, as well as the bone-crushing open-ice hits. Hopefully, I'll forget the off-ice acrimony in time. I have to admit that I wondered what became of him when hearing about the Peca/Smith/Pronger camps in Edmonton a few years back, but they went to the Cup.

Mike Peca needed a chainsaw to shave, or like a Mach-15-blade razor.

6. Jim Schoenfeld (1974-77) -- Skippered the squad to its first Stanley Cup Finals appearance, and has one of the most memorable checks in team history. Also would fight and, like Ruff, became a pretty good head coach, even if I seem to recall him being behind the bench when a Devils goalie scored in his own net.

5. Chris Drury (2005-2007) -- Whether it be fabled or fact, Drury will always hold a special place in the hearts of Sabres fans, whether they view his exit as shady or justified. The guy blocked shots with his face, played hurt and saved Canaima, California from a deadly species of Venezuelan spider. Oh, wait, that last part was Jeff Daniels in "Arachnophobia."

4. Mike Ramsey (1991-92) -- Respected, tough as nails defenseman who would've worn the 'C' much longer had he not been on a team with Perreault and Foligno. Olympic hero was extremely well-respected around the league.

Ramsey was so well-respected that the Russians let him use them as a couch on his way to ending the Cold War.

3. Pat LaFontaine (1992-97) -- Classy with the media, LaFontaine will always go down as a player who was cut down by concussions when plenty of good hockey left to play. His arrival instantly transformed the image of the club, and Mogilny doesn't score 76 without his almost-absurd 95 helpers in 1992-93.

2. Mike Foligno (1989-91) -- My favorite hockey player of all-time for the grit and goals. His only downfall was a penalty shot on my birthday against the Red Wings. Sitting in my seat, I was ready for my hero to light up Glen Hanlon. Hanlon stopped him, and did the celebrated Foligno goal jump. Pretty awesome in retrospect, even if it ruined my day, just as it did the time Esa Tikkanen sat on him at center ice during an Oilers/Sabres game I attended. Thanks, Dad and Uncle Larry.

Mike Foligno's nose defines hockey. He's also the only professional athlete I'm actually intimidated around. Pretty weird, huh?

1. Gilbert Perreault (1982-97) -- There's no debate. The franchise's leader in almost everything was here from its inception until 1986. Plus, I fell down the stairs of the gold section with right before he scored his 500th goal, meaning my parents missed the milestone. I've heard about it every time the replay's been televised since then. For goodness' sake, Mom, I was four.

And he could sing.

I didn't take forever to make these rankings, so cut me a little slack, cause that's how I see it. I'm ready for hockey season, and I'll get some predictions your way soon. Leafs/Red Wings tonight on television!

Email: nick@wgr550.com

P.S. Send me your rankings if you'd like.

This is just a short, little note from Tuesday's Sabre practice, but it's been on my mind for a bit.

The enduring image of practice was Jason Pominville letting loose on a snap shot down the right wing that beat Patrick Lalime high, glove-side. It was just one of several slick plays that stood out for the fourth-year player (he did play one game in 2003-04, but come on) who may or may not be named captain Wednesday. My hope is that he receives the honor and I wouldn't be surprised to see his numbers improve again.

After .53 points-per-game in his rookie year, his ratio improved to .83 in 2006-07 and then .98 last season. Pominville ripped a resounding 232 shots on net in 2007-08, many of which were gobbled up on the rebound to contribute to his 53 assists, while the Lady Byng finalist took just 20 minutes in penalties.

Look for Pominville to at least quintuple his power play goals this season. After two last year, count at least 10 on the way to a 30-35 goal, 50-55 assist campaign, which would put him over a point-per-game, assuming he puts up his third-straight 82-game season.

Indulge me -- my picks for assistant/alternate captains -- Teppo Numminen and Derek Roy. That way, when Numminen takes a night off, you can reward the hardest-working Sabre with an 'A' for an evening or two, and Roy's maturity evolved so much last season that asking for more in the next logical step. Regardless, I think you'll see Jochen Hecht get an 'A,' but those were my picks, and I like Hecht a ton as well.