May Day 10

I saw it somewhere else earlier in the week, but a quick search found me this. http://www.usatoday.com/sports/columnist/h...da-hockey_N.htm

Are people really arguing that the US > Canada in terms of hockey? Not even close. Their olympic team is a lot better. The US stole a preliminary round game... which is great for US hockey fans. Unfortunately, then game was watched by less people than the NFL Pro Bowl. In Canada, the game broke viewing records. It would be enjoyable if the US can beat Finland, and then Canada/Slovakia,

haha. thats funny. re: Kid with flag. but yeah, I cant stand that crap. Its so insulting. "all canadians should not be allowed to come to the stadium". "People from Buffalo/US are all arrogant, fat, and stupid". We're just fat and stupid. Only some of us are arrogant. I wish all the citizens on both sides of the border realized how awesome of a thing we have. I think Canadians... especially those in Ontario and Quebec, hold a resentment towards the US, especially due to the Bush years and the US's military might and squandering of military lives. Perhaps without the US military might, Canada may not be able to exist as it is. I root for Canada in all things once the US is eliminated. In the dark days of Tkachuk, Roenick, Hull, etc I would root for Canada over the U.S.

I sat in front of these ignoramouses at the opening Buffalo/Montreal game this season. During the US National Anthem for some reason they were saying "ignorance is bliss" and they were laughing about the Challenger Disaster. During the game they were ragging on the people of Buffalo for being really dumb. The blooper reel they show on the jumbotron they assumed were all people from Buffalo. The one kept telling the other one to watch "Idiocracy" and then call him so they can laugh "for hours" about it. They were the biggest losers in the world. The only Montreal fans there alone and not in a boisterous group.... and they also probably lived about 2 minutes over the Peace Bridge. Being subjected to that for 3 hours soured me on all of Canada for awhile. I have noticed this "holier than thou" crap building for the past 8 years... it is BS and Canadians need to stop. Me, and most others from Buffalo think very highly of Canada and would never go up there and disrespect Canadians as they come here to do. Essentially, the laces are very similar and our fates are tied to one another.

dont know if thats a good thing or bad thing.

Coming from an American rooting for US: Canada is going to squash the US if they meet in the Gold Medal game.

I think Christy Wilson-Hoffman lives in Colorado.... no?

Brodeur has been yanked in favor of Luongo

Its like when people always say they wonder why the regular season cant match the playoffs' intensity. You put a Stanley Cup or Gold Medals on the line and these millionaires suddenly put the paychecks out of mind. Out of all major professional team sports, I think if you get players to want to win that much... nothing comes close to hockey.

Finland and the Czechs shouldnt be underestimated, especially Finland. But yeah, Sweden, Canada, and Russia could potentially lay a whuppin on the US in any given game.

that is true. Canada, Russia, and Sweden all have to go through each other. US's main obstacles to the Gold Medal game are the Czechs and Fins. They will start off playing the winner of Belarus/Switzerland

looks like the us will play the winner of Belarus/Switzerland. Then likely play the Czech or Fins to get into the Gold Medal Game. Sweden, Russia, and Canada all have to go through each other. Only 1 of them can play for gold.

I have had Comcast and the problems/issues/omissions are enormous. Also at times subscribing to Time Warner, Charter, and Adelphia, Directv is by far superior in every way, except they dont get MSNBC, a station I never thought I would have to watch. And I wouldnt be surprised if Comcast is behind holding the HD signal back from being carried on Directv.

If it were directvs fault I would be done. But I blame it on comcast and I am being patient for now.

Maybe it just comes down to the fact that there are no commercial breaks

Concast bought nbc. Is this another way for them to f with directv subscribers?

the man law states that in the case of the Pittsburgh Pirates, you are allowed to give up on them. If and when they get good again you will be allowed back on, unless you picked an alternative favorite MLB team that has since won the World Series. Man Law 23 Subpart 14.2

Bridgeport is horribly crime riddled. New Haven is a giant ghetto. Yale takes up a few blocks, but other than that there is nothing to the city, but violent minorities and bums. The traffic between Hartford to New Haven, to Bridgeport to Stamford is the worst I have ever experienced. All you have really is 95 to get anywhere. There is the Merritt, but there is no shoulder and it clogs up. If there is an accident, forget about getting anywhere for a long time. I used to have a 15 mile commute that would take at least an hour each way. It was rare if I didnt pass a horrific looking accident on any given day. People cant drive there. Lots of rich housewives with SUVs who think they are invincible on the road. Cost of living is terrible. No tolls, but they hit you with a "tax" bill(s) for your vehicle(s) every year for hundreds of dollars. I was making a decent salary, but still had to dig myself a gigantic debt hole. Crooked politicians nothing to do unless you take the train for an hour to NYC (another place I hate) or drive 2 hours to Boston. most of the people suck. For instance, most people I know from WNY have been friends with their "group" since they were very young. People in CT would just gravitate from group to group and it was rare to see friendships that were long-term. Very snobby people too. People there are miserable. A lot want to leave, but are tied down by "careers" and debt. I spend a lot of time in New Jersey now. New Jersey gets a bad rap, but it is like the midwest compared to CT.

I dont think anyone is arguing that Buffalo should be at the top of the list. Ranking the worst cities by the "criteria" they chose is irresponsible. Its all negative stuff. Its easy to say it snows in Buffalo, there isnt a lot of jobs, and the Sabres and Bills dont win championships so its a miserable place. Why not focus on any positives in this "study"? I have lived places that have jobs and better weather, but the cost of living was through the roof where I was making 3x what I would make in Buffalo but racking up debt at a horrific pace. Crime in places like Bridgeport, CT, New Haven, and Camden make it so you cant even be anywhere in each city (outside of Yale, those 3 cities are 3 giant violent ghettos). Those 3 cities also have a lot of traffic and a terrible cost of living. But they dont have the Bills or Sabres and it doesnt snow as much so I guess those places are better than Buffalo.

I have no use for Lynch on the team. Send him packing for whatever you can get

Sabres, Cleveland Indians, then a dropoff. Then comes Grimsby Town FC, NCAA Football Oklahoma, Buffalo, Oregon State, Boise State, Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, and Winnipeg Jets

How is the "Sports Teams" criteria calculated? It seems like way too much grey area to make into a criteria. Buffalo has an NHL team, Toledo doesnt. Buffalo has never won a cup. is Buffalo < Toledo? Or does the Buffalo Bisons winning the international league make the Bisons > the Indians? Does the fact that there is an NHL team in Buffalo, create more enjoyment and less misery than a team in Phoenix if the teams' records are the same? How about the Bills and the Cardinals........ or Bills and Jaguars? Or are they equal? I would also argue that heartbreak in a large way adds to the enjoyment of being a Buffalo sports fan. In Philly, a team goes in the tank, and everybody drops them and roots for whichever of the sports teams is doing better... and they preted they dont care or never cared for the team that is losing. Does that make them less miserable than people in Buffalo because we stick with our losers? I think it adds to our pride and enjoyment. I know if I am at a bar or at a game and people are going nuts, giving high fives, hugs, spilling drinks on me etc.... I know they have been through all the rough times with me and that the team's hot streak isnt just a phony taste of the month/bandwagon thing that occurs in a lot of "happier" cities.

furthermore, this "study" says that the 200 largest US cities were considered and the cut off is a population of 240,000. There is nowhere near 200 cities in the US with a population of 240K or greater

these Forbes rankings always piss me off and in my mind they have severely cheapened Forbes' credibility. These ratings are unfair to places like Buffalo and Cleveland. It doesnt take into account architecture, arts, community, foods, activities, schools, state colleges, etc. It takes a select group of criteria almost devised for pulling shots on certain cities. These ratings always take a dump Buffalo as well because they dont take into account the immediate surrounding areas. They also assume that everyone prefers 90 degree weather 365 days a year as opposed to a change in seasons.

I moved away in 2003. Lived in various locations in Connecticut for 3+ years. Talk about misery! Dying to move back home I landed a great job in the area. However I am required to be out of WNY 94% of the time. Im in South Jersey/Philly area. Its not too bad... but I would love to stay in WNY full time. Connecticut is the worst place in our civilization.