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as Quixotic is Mr. Wilson sometimes is, i have always gotten the sense that he has a keen eye for business, especially when it comes to the Bills, as well as the business of the NFL. he's been on enough committees and involved in so many talks -- 1977 labor talks, talks with former Colts owner Carroll Rosenbloom (which established the framework of the AFL-NFL merger) to name a few -- to understand and have a historical perspective on what makes sense. i'm not saying that all of his decisions have been fruitful and some somewhat frustrating to Bills fans (the uncertainty of what happens after he's gone), but Mr. Wilson is not in the dark -- not even close -- as some make him out to be. jw

speaking of SKOOB, i encountered a funny thing recently, there's a "SKOOBY" on the Buffalo Bills board, who also happened to post a thread: "2 things you don't like about the Bills as of right now..." hmm, same thing as here. same picture, too. there couldn't be two, could there? yikes! jw

Mr. Wilson reports that left arm is still a little sore but feeling better. otherwise, he's getting around well and had some very insightful reflections and humorous stories discussing T.O., the AFL-NFL merger and other topics. i can also report that Mary Wilson has taken up golf and has proven to be a bit of a natural. she shot a 42 over front 9 last week. 42! and she just started. i'm lucky if i don't get to 42 through 6. jw

thanks. why there is so much pent-up hatred on this board is beyond me. obviously, i deal with players and owners and coaches for a living, but i can't say i develop any real hatred for any of them. some i might root against when they're playing, but not to the degree of "hate." and i hope i never reach that level where it becomes personal. remember, this is sports not cancer research. jw

trip was good. made a stop in windsor, which is where i'm writing this, to see my family at my mom's place. she had an impromptu get together, with my brothers' and their families over so it was a nice trip so far, but a very long day. can't really get into too many details as there's stuff i'm holding on to for several upcoming features. that said, Mr. Wilson was in a very good mood and as upbeat as i've usually known him to be. obviously, this was the "news" that came out of our chat, but i was struck by Mr. Wilson's response regarding how he's sure the Toronto group wants another game, but wasn't sure if that was going to materialize. of course he didn't say no. but he did say no, when specifically asked if one of the factors was an expanded regular season. and, as noted in story, there are lingering questions over whether the Toronto organizers can improve upon their delivery. and they'll be in the spotlight this season with a thursday-nighter, of course. jw

and this is because Mr. Wilson jumped at all the opportunities to relocate the team? oh, wait, it's still in Orchard Park ... right.

the full story and now for the rest of the story. jw

Philster beat me to it. Lori, you might want to merge threads here. Note, just filed more to this story so should be a writethru out there soon. jw

AP: Wilson says it's premature to consider having Buffalo Bills play additional games in Toronto more to come. jw

right, i should've made the distinction and put "boneless wings" in quotations, since all they are formed meat nuggets, which doesn't sound entirely appetizing. still not the same though as actual wings. they do come in handy when i'm playing the ntn trivia game at a local watering hole -- the one-handed approach allows me keep a hand free to answer questions, but that's about it. as for your note about really nursing beer ... well, anyone who does that is a heretic, shouldn't be allowed in a bar, or, perhaps stick to lemonade for that matter. jw

funny thing is that boneless wings, though interesting in concept, simply don't cut it. jw

i don't like teriyaki and i don't like breaded, and i solely use blue cheese. my wife prefers them dry (last time we were at pearl street, and that was a while ago, they served them dry), but i like a nice coating (not dripping mind you) of sauce. duff's has generally fit the bill. and their bowl of shoestring fries are a great complement. jw

steely dan's cat reminds me of one of my favorite lines from The Simpsons, which aptly fits this thread. Ralph Wiggum: "My cat's breath smells like cat food." jw

with all due respect, let's pick another fun food such as pizza. i've had the traditional italian pizza, with sauce and no cheese on large oven-baked flatbread, and that's fine. and yet, i prefer going to places like regina's in boston or casa in buffalo and having cheese and pepperoni added to it. i'm sure there are some old-school italians who likely shudder and question what's become of their pie ... while many others consider it to be an improvement. and i'm not saying i prefer wings slathered in sauce, i'm suggesting that it's a matter of taste. i prefer the duff wing over the anchor wing. now when it comes to hamburgers, the Buff News was close to being on target in its rankings last year: vizzy's on kenmore ave. is the best in town. jw

was in halifax a while back, and their plate du jour is, get this, fried pepperoni. it's simply small slices of pepperoni -- like that on a good pizza -- that are fried and served in a bowl. considering all the greasy, fried foods that buffalo is noted for, i've always wondered why that dish hasn't been adopted here. jw

yes, i believe the poster forgot to mention some starchy product, say, french fries or potato chips at the very least. jw

well, that's debatable. jw

sorry, it came off ornery, but wasn't meant to be ... i was hoping people would see through it when i went on and listed my favorites, further jacking said thread. guess i should've inserted one of them ubiquitous faces ... jw

chicken wings wouldn't exist without the egg coming first ... or is it the other way around? jw

to answer the original poster's question (which had nothing to do about Anchor Bar vs. Duff's or anywhere else for that matter ... sheesh!), you might want to try their beef on weck or pizza. then again, i've had better at other places. Duff's beef on weck (only had it at OP location) was extremely good. and there's always Charlie The Butcher, though it's too bad that he's no longer at Wegman's. as for pizza, make mine Casa (even though it's way too greasy, it's dang tasty). as for good wings, The Swannie House (depending on who's cooking) might have some of the best BBQ wings around. proceed. jw ADD: almost forgot, the Lafayette Tap Room down the street from Pilot Field/Dunn Tire Park/Coca Cola whatever at Jimmy Griffin Place is also a solid contender for wings.

-- holding hands with my wife. -- having the perfect song (fast, slow, meloncholy) popping up on my ipod at the perfect moment, as has been happening this evening for a very good string so far: "Till We're Nude" (The Replacements), "Help!" (The Beatles), "I Believe" (Elmore James), "Hold on Loosely" (38 Special) (hey, it fit), "Walkaways" (Counting Crows) and, as I bang this in, "Especially in Michigan" (Chillis), which just happens to be where I'm heading at the end of this week (hint: Lori). -- when the first beer flows so cold and deep, you immediately want another. -- the rare time when i'm able to sit down and write and everything starts falling so well into place that i'm done the 800-word piece within an hour, smoke breaks included. one of the most memorable perfect times that happened was when i did a piece on andrew kulyk and peter farrell's ultimate sports fans road trip in the spring of 2005. ultimate sports road trip i swear i wrote that sucker in like 45 minutes, and had a ball doing so. jw

thank you. the first time i saw The Police was in the summer of 1981, at what was billed as "The Police Picnic" in some farm field outside of Oakville, Ont., which featured a remarkable list of bands. from Iggy Pop to Oingo Boingo, Killing Joke, The Specials, the Go Go's (don't laugh, they were fun) and The Police touring their second or third album. hey, it was a while ago. when The Police finally got on stage, i was maybe 8 deep in the center of it all, and i couldn't take my eyes off Copeland and the way he sat over his drumkit and absolutely dominated the thing, banging away like a madman. as strange as it might sound, i find myself at my best when i'm sitting over my keyboard in much the same way, banging at this keyboard as if it were some snare, with me keeping upbeat time. i won't lay claim that Copeland was THE best. i think Mr. Moon and Charlie Watts rank in a tie for different and similar reasons. both, like Copeland for that matter, best complemented their respective bands by being musicians rather than guys who simply kept time. Watts was understated and could play a wide arrangement of genres, and particularly their bluesy-country sides (funny, i've got "Country Honk" playing in my head phones as i bang this out). but Moon was an animal, and the pun just might be intended because i think the crazy drumming Henson creation, "animal," just might have been based on Keith Moon, minus the syringes of course. i'd rank Mick Fleetwood up there along with Bun E Carlos of Cheap Trick. and here's a bit of a black sheep that might have been overlooked: Bruce Gary of The Knack. laugh if you will, but if you listen to the drumming on their first and second albums provided by Mr. Gary, well, it stands out as being remarkable ... almost Moon-like. jw ADD: female drummers overlooked include: Torry Castellano of The Donnas, Samantha Maloney of Hole and Demetra Plakas of L7.

not to douse all the excitement, but can i go on vacation first? jw

thanks. i thought it was just me. jw

not according to Mr. WEO. jw