May Day 10

I tossed the Directv this Summer due to AT&T being awful to deal with and rates skyrocketing. I have Hulu Live, Netflix, and Prime and have all I want. Ill see what happens during NFL season, but I have the local network channels with Hulu Live

It is similar, but also different. I could turn the service off or on at any moment with a few clicks from a smartphone. With Directv, I wanted to put my account on hold for a couple months (which their website says you can) and I got into a fight and 15 minutes struggle with the CS rep who didnt speak very well because they wanted me to tell them "why" I am putting it on hold. I said it wasnt any of their business and it concluded with me cancelling. Directv also has the service agreement terms people can get jammed up in. With Hulu, I am not paying any sort of peripheral charges, rent on receivers, billing fees, technology fees, etc. It is also where everything is going and will be within 5 years. Home cable boxes are going to be the next VCR. You said my Directv bill at $200 was aggressive. It was $190. We had 2 boxes, apparently a service protection plan on those. Home DVR, and a middle-high package. We had the movie channels for free, then they started billing at a high price and I couldnt get the deal again. I kept them due to Game of Thrones, then Chernobyl. The way the packages are designed, for the NHL, they have NHL Network, MSG, and NBC Sports on different tiers, so in order to truly get all the games, you need to have an upgraded package with a hundred additional channels you have no interest in. I am sick and tired of that game they play. For the NHL, I do not stream on a computer, playing whack a mole with feeds. I found an app that works on my smartphone. It is full HD and I can cast it to my TV. 100% dependable.

I get the Indians games on Hulu Live. I have a way to get the Sabres games. Most of what I want should be available on Hulu Live Its almost where I am angry and dont care about sports enough to pay upwards of $200 a month for the ability to watch.... which I find myself doing less and less. If the sports leagues want to collude with the telecom companies so they can continue to enjoy their government-sanctioned monopolies and racketeering.... then I could do without the sports leagues. If Im going to miss a Bills game that is on NFL Network 1x, it isnt worth $X,XXX in cable bills for the year.

About 3 weeks in, between Hulu Live, Prime, and Netflix, I havent missed a thing. I have actually watched more television (with Directv I was watching almost nothing).

Adam Schein is the 2000s version of Chris Berman. He makes it appear like he is a fan of (and is generally optimistic about) all 32 teams. That way everyone likes him.

Alabama Clemson Georgia Michigan

To me, that isnt worth it. I stuck with them due to the ease of getting a better rate and I felt appreciated. I almost felt like I owed the effort they made to meet in the middle and stick with them at a rate a little higher than it would be for a triple-play introductory package with Spectrum/TW. Now, the apparent need to go to the mat with them every year like i'm buying a car... that isnt something i want/need. They wouldnt give me much of a discount, and didnt resist when i cancelled. Only after the fact, i received emails with decent deals, but a lot of small print and a contract term, and also didnt include all the equipment and hidden fees. I tossed the directv and im so glad i did. Havent missed a thing other than paying lease on antiquated receiver boxes. Its liberating

AFC Atlantic Jets Patriots Ravens Eagles Great Lakes Buffalo Cleveland Pittsburgh Detroit Southeast Miami Jacksonville Atlanta Tampa Bay West Kansas City Denver Las Vegas Arizona NFC East Giants Skins that are not caucasian Cowboys Lost Souls Bengals Texans Panthers Saints Northern Plains Packers Vikings Bears Colts West Seattle 49ers Chargers Rams and I forgot a team, so just contract them

Ive always been a huge advocate of buffalo-pittsburgh-cleveland along with either detroit, cincy, or baltimore. Imo, the Miami thing is dead and buried and never coming back unless both teams are good at the same time for multiple seasons.... but thats the case with ANY divisional teams in the league. People in miami dont care about buffalo Jets.... dont care. The titans afl history is cool and all i guess Patriots, i hate, but the entire league does. Im at the point where im just fatigued by the divisional games against ne, ny, and mia. The nfl has had the same alignment for almost 20 years, which is an eternity as far as these formats go

Yeah. Honestly, I dont even remember the hiring of Modrak because back then, I dont feel like we were so desperate to analyze every single move as if the fate of the organization hinged on it. Now, things are so magnified in our eyes.

IMO, the Donahoe era was the last grasp the Bills had at relevancy prior to (maybe) McDermott/Beane. Then we got the recycling of the organization within Wilson's circle of trust into Pegula's learning curve. We had Levy, Brandon, Nix, and Whaley as GMs with Brandon presiding over Nix and Whaley, with very shaky head coaching. The organization's whole is more than the sum of its parts, and under such awful leadership, a "Vice President of College Scouting" isn't going to look great, nor is anyone.

Excellent news

Just heard her on the radio. She didnt sound smooth or polished to be a professional reporter. I caught it partway in and I thought that they were interviewing an uncomfortable high school or college athlete. They said who she was and I couldnt believe that was her job.

He really has a soft body for a "world class athlete" or "GOAT" of anything but the pro bowling tour

I think its belichick running away.

NFL: New England to Buffalo Buffalo to New England

OK. 2 that I think should happen if I were the board of governors? NHL: Florida Panthers to Houston, TX. Seems like a slam dunk. Florida is a nothing team nobody cares about and never has. I care less when the Sabres play Florida because I know there are about 100 people "on the other end" watching the game as Panther fans. Houston is a monster city with some hockey history, and the door recently opened to the arena there. Honorable mention to Kansas City to bring back the Scouts or Milwaukee. MLB: Tampa to Charlotte. Tampa, like Florida of the NHL is a nothing team. Poor stadium situation. Charlotte is almost turnkey-ready in an affluent downtown area and will become North Carolina's only MLB team. MLB in Florida has been a terrible idea overall. Now, what I would want? MLB: Tampa to Buffalo. I would love MLB to come to Buffalo and 81 home dates would do wonders for our city. NHL: Florida to Quebec City, Halifax, or Saskatoon. See above, and I think any of the 3 listed cities would pack the house every night and it would be a good replacement for a 'dead' team (see above). Maybe Milwaukee From the other sports? (from the 'want' standpoint) NBA: LA Clippers to Buffalo. Sacramento to Montreal or Vancouver NFL: Jacksonville to Montreal Jacksonville to London (get it over with)

I dont think NEF is ideal. It can be pretty rough. Abbott, Southwestern, and 20A are wide enough runs that provide for reasonable enough escapes. Seeing what I see with Sabres games (not the last 6 years or so when 75% of the arena bails in the 3rd period), a 65K football stadium SE of the arena would be a nightmare. I would almost guarantee traffic is being studied and a part of the final decision. Maybe they'll find its no big deal, or a couple solutions to roll people out of the viscinity quicker. IMO, you need 190 to be feeding directly off of major lots, as well as some sort of N/S Route 5 non-skyway type solution.

I havent done a Browns game... but Heinz Field, PNC Park, and Progressive Field are all tucked right in with multiple interstates and people can jump right into the arteries. The problem with Buffalo is people need to drive on Exchange St, Michigan St, Swan St, Ohio St, etc including many stoplights to get to an area where they can get on 190N or 190S. Chicago, I know is a huge public transit thing. Been to a few things there. St. Louis, no idea. Detroit, just googled it, and again, tucked in with interstates that will flush everyone out quick

I do not believe RW 'intended' to sell the team to Rogers. I believe they were always going to go out for auction on RW's passing. He did not want to get taxed on the sale, then get taxed on the inheritance. I do believe he wanted the infusion of un-shared cash first and foremost, and it also pleased his buddies in the NFL who has/had all the international aspirations. There is the 'regionalization' dream as well. I believe Ted Rogers intended on putting in a bid on the Bills, and this was going to be his foot in the door and dress-rehearsal for Toronto's readiness and eagerness for the NFL. To his surprise, the reception was lukewarm. A nice assist to Bills' mediocrity through the Jauron and Gailey eras. Wilson probably knew this and was fine with it. There was no Terry Pegula on any doppler and the Sabres had 'recently' been sitting there for a year+ without an owner only to be saved by a somewhat 'frugal' billionaire in Golisano. The WNY landscape was a bit bleak as far as bidders go. But yeah, Rogers' passing was large. If that empire was still consolidated and motivated to buy, they could have teamed up with MLSE/Jovi and really gave Pegula a challenge.

I think being a city with 250K is a negative and it isn't equipped to move huge volumes of traffic. A number of other downtown venues I have been at, sit right at a convergence of multiple interstates and routes out of there. The lots often empty out right at the bases of onramps. I once watched a simultaneous world series game and a concert flush out of Philly in less than 20 minutes. New Era Field isnt horrible because you have some major 4-lane streets right up against the lots, with plenty of runway before stoplights. Ability to go N, S, E, or W. Let's say hypothetically, you have it Southeast of the Arena. That is further from the 190, which is pretty much the singular route out of there. People get there from a number of narrow, often one-way streets and many stoplights. The parking lots that are there by the arena all empty out on the same "normal" streets that become gridlocked and the holdup flows back into the parking lots themselves. Parking ramp? Hope you packed a midnight snack. To the West you have the lake, and the South a boondoggle of the canal, industrial buildings, and railroad stuff. Getting to 190 to reach the skyway/Rte 5 seems silly as well. I also do not believe that any meaningful metro rail enhancements will be coming in order to move more people a more variety of places. The money they have is going to be spent on maintenance, as well as scouting an extension to UB North. I think it can be done... but would be quite an undertaking, and would need to add exit(s) for the 190, if not change the course of it. Also would need to enhance the roadway availability to the South and East. For Sabres games, many have their tricks they have adapted, but it is still pretty bad for 19K people. I used to park across from Pilot Field where the onramp to 190 was. Now I usually bring a small child and thats a bit of a tough, windy hike in the winter... and also, it seems that pre-game traffic has gotten really bad the past 3 seasons or so, no idea why. Trying to get to Swan St I get caught in traffic. Now I go to Louisianna Street and park either in the Sabres' lots or along Michigan Street. We normally leave early to beat traffic, especially on a weeknight.

Oh. Being in a car, it can take over an hour to get out of downtown. This is why people bolt from that arena all through the 3rd period, even in a close game. Maybe if they connect metro rail with Grand Island, it could work...

Have you ever tried to leave a Sabres game when everyone stays until the end?

Also, add in the NFL relocation fee, as well as the price of a new stadium. I also recall there to be some wording about not being allowed to even talk stadium anywhere but erie county, which made it extra sticky.