May Day 10

10 guys are better than Bruce Smith?

this instead

I just dont trust the "mogul" type from the outside. I would rather someone married to the locality a bit. If Trump is the only choice who wants it in Buffalo, then Ill take our chances there. If he came here and signed a 30 year binding lease, OK, Im on board, even with all the bluster and the "TMZ" complex/self promotion. Thats all fine, as long as he isnt suffocating the football guys. As it is though, these "Mogul" types do not typically carry much loyalty. Buying and selling is ingrained in their DNA. I can see him assessing the situation as an investor. Buy the team, lean heavily on NYS and Erie County for a sparkling stadium as well as additional money and subsidies for more development (free money), then if he doesnt get it, cry about NYS being Communist, blaming it on them, and selling the team to the highest bidder in 7 years when the lease opens up and someone is ready to pay out the butt and relocate them. Maybe move them himself. Either outcome he makes out like a bandit. Of course he is going to say he is committed to Buffalo now. They are stuck here for years anyways. Who knows how well he will/can work with Cuomo, Polancarz, and visa versa. I dont really care about the personality, flair, politics, etc. I would just feel better and more secure with an owner who didnt make his money only buying/selling/liquidating/flipping, etc. I prefer a guy like our local "players" who typically built a business and it grew to epic proportions. Those guys (local to add) seem a bit more grounded, loyal, and not as detached.

I truly fear the NFL has lost so much touch they wouldnt bat an eye relocating the Bills in the name of $. There are some people who get "bothered" somehow by the NFL losing money, you see comments on ESPN and such "just move them to LA". For the most part, real fans should hate the idea and the more press this gets, the more "scared" off the NFL might get. They really do not want any self-inflicted bad press/PR. I do fear they may justify a move to Toronto by saying it is "only an hour away". People elsewhere in the country may be fooled into thinking that is nothing and we still have our team.

it sounds like Cow Turd's same argument can be applied to moving Green Bay to Los Angeles

so, is Mr Trump the guy behind all the Jim Kelly confidence all these years?

the Sabres already had that

It could go a number of ways. I really suspect he would spend the next 7-10 years really putting the screws to the county and state for a stadium as well as other subsidies, and he would not hesitate to leave at the end of the lease if he doesnt get his way. I could also picture a circus level ownership "adjustment". Think Terry Pegula but a huge ego to feed. Or it can go well and be a marriage that will help Buffalo's redevelopment as well as trump's portfolio and public profile. Personally im very guarded on this. I would much rather someone buys the team a bit more "bonded" to the region/city.

Yeah, Golisano was a huge gamble based on the NHL Lockout, no revenue sharing or cap (yet) and a team who couldnt draw flies. He bought it on the cheap, but it was a sorry situation.

Say he buys the team for $800 Million He makes the yearly profit. Then he later sells the team for $900 Million. Like Golisano. He ran the Sabres at the break-even point, but when he cashed out, he made a killing. Teams are not consumable. They seem to hold/increase their value. So if someone drops $800 Million on them, they still have $800 Million. They dont need to make $10 million/season for 80 seasons to make their money/investment back.

That is assuming the team plummets in value.

I agree. In my view, smoking in seated areas and bathrooms has increased 10X since the ban. I see why they did it. The "smoking areas" before were right there in the concourse and just a small, crudely painted area that was completely overrun at halftime. With these upgrades/re-zoning, they could have made an area further from the concourse that would make it available so people can get their "fix", while keeping it far enough from civilians. People wouldnt need to necessarily smoke in their seats and they can concentrate on railing sliders

I dont mind enforcing smoking in the stadium. Fine. Anyone caught is a dummy. I do think they should have/could have made a better sectioned smoking area with these "upgrades". It would be stupid to create a rule that you cant even have them on you. That is over the top.

it looks like a majority of facilities have smoking areas. I think I counted 4 or 5 that dont allow at all, and another 7 that dont allow it in the stadium, but didnt go on to mention anything about re-entry / no re-entry, smoking areas, etc.

I would not be interested in cushions nor would the other 8 or so people I go with. That would be another stupid rule.

Im not dead set against Trump. I do think his ownership would diffuse our biggest threat for now, Toronto. However, I can see him pulling a Charles Wang-type thing here. Really trying to pry the County and State for not only a stadium, but a whole "Lighthouse Project" and demands a bit out of reach for what is available... then moving the team to a brighter market at the end of the lease when he doesnt get his way.

I would be very happy. Not to mention much closer to me... It's just a laughable "possibility" at this point. I actually think the thought is hilarious. Can't blame the council for keeping all the options open this early...

yeah. We cannot let the Toronto interests come here and try to fool us.

I agree SF Bills fan. The NFL isnt intentionally going to bring on any self imposed PR nightmares.

how many games until some drunk guy falls into the Falls or gorge? Travel really isnt feasible. I cant imagine they would just "build a new highway" to Niagara Falls or expand the GI bridges to help out stadium traffic 10 times a year. One accident on one of the GI Bridges or 190 and people will be sleeping in their cars. Or 20,000 cars driving down Pine Avenue and NF Blvd sounds realistic. We are turning a $500 Million-$1 Billion project into a multiple Billion dollar one. Just to fit a square peg into a round and toxic hole. Also, Niagara Falls is so backwards. Hamister had to/is fighting tooth and nail with the backwards council to build a $25 million dollar building there. Its a Wasteland. It has been too long. Too much criminal neglect. I dont even know where lots can/would go. Most of the area is much too toxic/polluted. The rest of the area is "potentially" valuable Falls-side land. Do we really want our side of the Falls wasted/represented by a football stadium and parking lots? There is no magic bullet and that includes Football Stadiums. It was thought that the Indian Casino would be a magic bullet. Instead it was the final parasitic bullet that sucked the rest of life out of the city. It will take decades to undo the damage to Niagara Falls. Like Buffalo, Niagara Falls needs the smaller "projects" to pop up around the border to make it a destination and feed off one another. Not just a Bass Pro, Casino, or Stadium. There is just so much less resistance and less $$$ and imagination required at every single other possibility. The extra 10-30 minutes required "from Toronto" isnt going to make or break the team and a new owner's desire to keep the team in Buffalo. That is silly. I used to drive 7 hours to go to and home from games and would see people past Binghamton on the 81 with Bills stuff on their cars from the game. It makes sense if you have many dates a year including weekdays where time is of the essence... but this is predominantly a Sunday sport where people show up at 8-9AM with all the time in the world.

It stinks. They have destroyed niagara falls over 40 to 50 years. In order to raze the chemical plants and clean all that up, it would likely be over a billion dollars and take a decade. It would require money from the federal government, state, and lawsuit settlements. It's really really sad what they have done to the place.

That would double the price of the stadium and take years and years

I was as uncomfortable with Wilson's ownership and management as anybody, but I would never expect him to just sign $100's of millions to the government. I do think there should have/could have been something done to help lock in the future more, such as sell off a small piece. Maybe there is/was some sort of instruction to accompany the sale/trust. This lease agreement also seems favorable in allowing us the opportunity to keep the team. Mr Wilson also created the Bills and they have been here >50 seasons! He also was historically against relocations in the NFL. Im not going to completely sugarcoat it though. He was a colossally bad owner when it comes to a quality football team. Its the past now. The best we can do is worry on the present and future and think positively. I get excited when I think of new ownership with no black cloud of whats around the bend

if he sold the team, the sale price would be taxed. Then the money would be taxed when passed down. This way, his family gets hit 1x I believe Also remember, he was also likely "planning" on living past 100.

that is still a complete disaster. Pine Avenue? Not to mention, I cant even get to work in NF without nearly wrecking my car on one of dozens of horrific potholes and spots where the asphalt on the road was stripped down and never replaced. And traffic is one of a hundred reasons why NF would be extremely unlikely to impossible. The idea actually makes me chuckle.