Archives for January 31, 2009

‘”The tickets were overpriced. We told them that to begin with, but that’s what they wanted to do,” said Wilson, the 90-year-old owner of the Bills who cashed the wildly generous $78 million (U.S.) cheque that Rogers Communications paid for the eight games, including three exhibitions, over five years. “They’re going through the process right now of evaluating the whole thing and make it better.”’

‘”We are constantly striving to make the Bills Toronto Series better year over year,” Montgomery said. “In light of that commitment, and in light of the economy, we – like every sports enterprise – are looking at all aspects of our business, including pricing, with the goal of making this year a better overall experience for the fans.”‘

‘The NFL will announce here today the Titans have been selected to play in this year’s Pro Football Hall of Fame, according to sources familiar with the situation. Their opponent in the league’s first preseason contest will be the Buffalo Bills. The game is scheduled for Aug. 9 in Canton, Ohio, and will be nationally televised.’

”’A wide receiver is supposed to catch the football, score TDs, be a difference-maker on the field,” Kelly said. ”And there is not a better receiver in the National Football League who had a better run-after-catch [ability] than Andre Reed.”’

‘”Mr. Wilson, 15-20 years ago, could easily have taken the big bucks and moved this team, or wanted this team to go somewhere else,” said ex-Bills quarterback Jim Kelly, another Hall of Famer. “But no, he was committed to making sure this team stayed in Buffalo. He has had this franchise here since day one, and he’s never moved it anywhere.”‘

‘But that partnership now seems strained after the Buffalo Bills reached a US$78-million agreement with a Toronto group to play eight games – five regular season, three exhibition – through 2012 at Rogers Centre. Many fear it’s the first step in the Bills eventually relocating to southern Ontario, a move that could have dire consequences for the CFL’s Toronto Argonauts and Hamilton Tiger-Cats.’

‘”I’ve had so many memorable experiences and wonderful relationships that I’ve built over the years,” Smith said. “And certainly I’m not being presumptuous to the extent that I’m saying this is automatically going to happen. But just the experience alone of being categorized as one of the best ever and certainly at my position."’

‘The two games up in Toronto were tremendously successful for us. We said the objective was to regionalize the Buffalo Bills, and it achieved those objectives. We were able to increase our season-ticket sales in the Toronto area significantly, over 40 percent. And I think from that standpoint we achieved what our initial objective was.’