May Day 10

There was not a criminal investigation for anyone to be found "guilty". It was a business ethics/conduct (and performance) decision handed by the owners of a business, followed by a voluntary resignation.

You are essentially claiming Russ Brandon purposefully reduced the value of the Bills (that is what the NRA does in this case), and at the same time increased their value by 150%? The standpoint of the team/franchise in lease negotiations is to reduce the lease terms and penalties. Not add them in. The County and State would have laughed and gladly taken a 100 year NRA if that is what Russ Brandon was secretly pushing that (rogue I guess without Littman/Wilson's knowledge). We should be crediting Polancarz and that Duffy guy from the State. The timing of Mr. Wilson's passing was pretty key and made everything "work out" as the paint wasnt dry on those boulders they put in as "renovations". If he were to live and pass away in July of 2018, it would be a much different story and we would be cursing at the "buyout period" of that NRA, as it would be much more appealing for outside WNY buyers. I would also argue that a lot of those renovations were a waste and a botch job, as that money would be better spent on the longer term solution (boulders, black paint, a new Bills store, a maze of walkways that zigzag)? I also am unsure how much of Brandon's "negotiation" was needed to sell the team to Terry and Kim Pegula. It was an auction. Potential owners and their lawyers looked over the books, assessed their potential competition, and a large premium is added on to join the club of NFL ownership. Through the ownership changes, Brandon is a nobody. Billionaires do what they do. He didnt talk Terry Pegula into dropping an extra half billion on the team. Additionally, Littman was the "real" proxy for Ralph Wilson, the other billionaire in the deal. Things were not being done without his involvement, knowledge, or blessing. If Russ Brandon could add a half billion dollars in value, he would have been hired long ago. One thing Russ Brandon is lauded for, is 'working a room' when it comes to sponsors and/or business executives. He is a manipulator, and can become a charming guy when the climate needs it, which is/can be useful in the corporate world. New Era is going to tap into this and he will probably essentially be a salesman to try to cut deals with pro sports leagues and individual teams and other organizations (where possible). IMO, he worked his tail off in his early days with the Bills with "Business Backs the Bills" and selling suites/premium suites for the (1999?) renovations. Made a name for himself and also lighted the idea of moving training camp to his alma-mater and monetizing that. This resulted in son-like adoration from Ralph Wilson and as a result, he was over-promoted and given the keys to the car, and to be honest, I don't think he was very good at driving it. His huckster personality bought him some more years with the Pegulas. And all this is ignoring the long-time, cloudy/suspect influence he had over decisions that directly impacted the football team, and McDermott reportedly felt the need to ban him from being around.

Not that i think i would have the time to watch them at this point in my life, but i miss music videos and mtv from the early-mid 90s

The Pegulas never said that he resigned because of a inappropriate relationship. That was reported by the media, but they also said that the Pegulas' deeper inspection into Brandon's performing his job was also a factor. And I get the adult romance side/argument, but this has been a repeat thing through his tenure in bills management with multiple females, some married, he's married. This likely didnt have the appearance of an office romance. What women are sleeping with this guy anyways if he isnt president or paying them? The Pegulas trusted him to retain him, and gave the ultimate trust vaulting him to the top of their sports empire. This behavior is unnecessary and violates that trust. It can create a bad working environment for many people, potentially cost millions of dollars and embarrassment, and even force them to sell the team(s). It puts everything into question: raises, promotions, work assignments, bonuses, termination, etc. After looking into this behavior, why cover for Russ Brandon (who allegedly lied to their faces after he was "caught")? For what? Last time I checked, just as many tickets were sold, the revenue sharing check was the same, and the bills have some dumb slogan for the season once again.

Guess not a lot of pro sports organizations were lining up to hire him as President.

For me, i'd take buffalo over florida (and the southeast, texas, etc) I really do like all the seasons and the variability. I also live in the northtowns so we avoid the obsurd snowfall. The Summer is near perfect. Rarely too hot to go outside. Fall is amazing too. Its like someone flipped on the AC. Lots of activities start up and farm stands in full swing. Spring time is also great. The best day of the year is the first day the warm really hits and everyone is outside. I dont mind winter so much. Dont need to pull weeds or cut the grass obsessively. It prevents us from having scary bugs and snakes that will kill you or are the size of a house pet. We also avoid hurricanes and tornadoes which im happy about. The winter does get long though. My main complaint would be that. I wish we could take March and stick it between june and july.

Ill never forget that half when he chased Ohio State around their own field and Urban was at a loss for words

Niagara Falls is an awful idea, as has been hashed over dozens of times and even shot down by the Engineers' study. Not to mention the local government that makes Erie/Buffalo look efficient and forward thinking. The Niagara County population base and infrastructure also isn't equipped to handle costs and emergency personnel, etc. Traffic, the unnecessary and strange fantasy that somehow NF tourist foot traffic will add to football attendance and ticket sales. It would just take up space and add parking lots. Fans would also need to breathe in the noxious soup spewed from chemical plants, landfills, and the garbage burn-plant. It makes most sense for all parties to either perform a huge renovation on New Era Field, or build new on an adjacent lot. At the very least, any significant build should include a roof, even if it is not enclosed. It would be nice to limit wind and protect from the direct rain at the very least. The infrastructure is there. The space is there. Downtown makes sense, but the amount of land acquisition, demolition, infrastructure demands would add a lot (like double) of cost to an already expensive project of design/construction of the building itself. There are also a lot of traffic concerns and it can be/is a nightmare even for Sabres games. We are also talking a very limited number of dates/year so the foot traffic wont support local business to make it worthwhile (we arent getting a lot of events no matter what the facility, most listed are 1-off and/or a fantasy).

I get to click on 30-39 for 2 more weeks

I have been doing the drill for 10+ years. AT&T changed DTV and they seem more comfortable losing subscribers than giving discountss

I tried my call in the Spring (when my bill went up drastically for less service) and I was pretty much stonewalled even when I went off the cliff to cancel. They were happy to cancel my account. I have been with them since 2007. I spoke to two reps in 2 different calls and each of them offered me $10 off my bill for a year and free HBO for 6 months. I cancelled, but walked it back as I wasn't prepared to go to Spectrum (who is even worse). It was the first time they failed to even attempt retention and to make me happy. Now my HBO is going to run out and I am going to try again. If I cant get a better deal (I dont even care about ST), Im cancelling for real AT&T sucks

Jeff Tuel had guns And yeah. For an iconic pro athlete who is billed as being obsessed with preparation, nutrition, taking care of his body, etc. He is soft. Im surprised.

For me? Out of the ones ive been to, East Rutherford/Newark

Good call with Teen Angst

The 90s are my wheelhouse decade due to high school and college years. I believe the 90s was the last great decade of music (it took a turn for the worse in the early/mid 00s when downloads and trying for the homerun single consumed the industry and it went 100% commercial). Favorite Song? Probably the entirety of the Alice in Chains Unplugged session maybe my favorite 1 hit wonder

Going from that initial tweet or instagram or whatever that was, to "believing mccoy set her up", i cant help but feel there isnt a lot of credibility there

Its easy to immediately fear the worst, you would think that if it were bad news, they would get him in there ASAP, not next month... It could be something structurally in there that's bothering him, or maybe hasn't healed correctly or whatever.

Whatever gets me ncaa football video games back

We discussed it here before, but there is nearly 100% chance he was looking to change his career anyways and was just making a good little gimmick for the show/station that bore fruit. I like Brad Riter when he is on. I do not hate each individual host at all (I would rank Bulldog as the worst).... but the station's shows and subject matter is so stale. Riter comes in and puts it on its ear a bit. He had a fill in show last week where he only played and discussed a random collection of clips from his shows 10+ years ago and I was captivated.

it makes sense, based on things like that, the organization taking her out of the forefront a bit.... but it could also be a response to the tide of rumors. You had a few people like Tim graham specifically saying "Its a recognizable person" and 'you will know her' or something like that... narrows the list down quite a bit.

As far as DNA and photographs? No I know first hand that this was a problem, dating back to when he was still "only" the Director of Marketing and having relations "secretly" (everyone knew) with a (married) secretary. A few of the media guys (at least Graham) also floated it out there that this was kind of an on-going problem with him.... as well as that one poster here (Kirby). Kirby is always a Russ Brandon supporter but admitted this was a chronic thing with him. And I'm not sure if it is/was Lauren Hall. It might just be a rumor that got legs and became generally accepted.

Its very rotten ice walking into that territory. The Bills could be open to a lawsuit(s) and a larger public embarrassment if they let her (and Russ' other victims) go because of this. Especially depending on who (if anyone) filed a complaint or brought it to management (or HR's) attention. You cant have a business, especially a large and publicly visible one, where a high level manager (ownership level) leverages his position and status to have sexual relationships with employees. It is bad on numerous levels. When I hear about this, I don't think "good for Russ", I think of him as a pathetic human. He really had a dream career, and he threw it away by being a scumbag throughout. Not to mention his family.

I havent eaten fast food in at least 11 years. and maybe just a handful of times in the last 15. I remember 11 because I had to stop at Checkers on my way home (7 hour drive) from the Sabres/Flyers Game 6 and it ended with me pooping my pants