Mango

Somebody mentioned on SS a moment I totally forgot. Pegula called for more positive media around the Sabres super early in his tenure with the NHL. Citing that if the reporters propped the team up they would play better, support the team like he supports his daughter. It's hard to separate the "Beane is the most sensitive GM in the NFL" thread from an owner who is firing producers because of "nEgAtIvE" coverage in the worst drought in NHL history. It's historical. I think one hand washes the other on this issue.

I still watch the Sabres, and honestly Sabres Live and the game production is about as positive as it can be without Duffer, Marty, and Razor throwing up in their own mouths. Awesome 7 days or so for Pegula where both orgs have reports of being so sensitive they are beyond reproach.

The Buffalo News just reported that the Sabres fired their TV Producer of 37 years because the program becomes "too critical". I am not sure this is a Beane specific issue and more an organizational issue. There's some coddling by design and I think he may have just become a bit more thin skinned as time has gone on. But PFF also mentioned an issue going back to CAR so who knows...

I'd add the Comedy Cellar for sure. It's iconic. And the atmosphere is unmatched. Probably too early to get a ticket now. I think they book a month or so out. I can't recommend this enough. Cover is like $14 plus 2 drink minimum. Go a little early and grab a seat at the Olive Tree right above it. That's where alot of the comics hang out before hand. You can catch comedians like Burr, Normand, Jenson just shooting the shirt before they go on. Also not sure where you're from, but do some digging on food. Sports bars are 'fine' but I'd certainly use it as an excuse to go chase awesome versions of your favorites or explore stuff you normally can't get at home. Don't rely on little Italy if youre looking for Italian. Forewarning, the food in mid town blows. It's meh. Liberty Bagel on 35th is my favorite bagel in NYC though, so it's one of the very few exceptions. But there are better places for smoked fish. Los Tacos No 1 are popping up everywhere. They look like a chain, maybe they are now, but they started as a food cart/truck. They're legit. Speaking of Tacos, there's Taqueria St Marks. It's not fancy but good vibes and good tacos. Feels like a cross between Essex St Pub and The Pink. Kame Ramen on 8th is one of my favorite Ramens. It is in mid town and it's one of the few exceptions for things that don't suck around there. I'd put it up there with others in the East Village. Saigon Bahn Mi in China Town is my favorite Bahn Mi anywhere and that sandwich is my favorite of sandwich of them all. It's like $10. Get it (#1) spicy and with pate. Katz isn't just a tourist trap. It's legit and worth it. I've done Penn 6 a couple of times for Bills events. It's been good. I'm in and out of the city a bit for work and my doctors.

They've been friends and business partners since at least the 90's. They have been worth loads for decades. They have/had a yacht with a full time staff on it. And no that's not the Pegulas.

But yes, I am familiar with Terry, his relationship with the Fortons, and Fortons in laws that are Terry's business partners. Terry is a geologist by trade.

To the bolded. LOL. No they don't. There is no legal requirement to name a President nor a secretary. Not in NYS, not in FL, and not by the NFL. You are just throwing short at the wall and hoping something sticks. In my time working for and with multi-billion dollar brands there are a lot less brands that take a (relegated to) marketing executive and have them not only sit in meetings for hirings well outside of their field of expertise or department, but give their voice significant weight. But sure, maybe the bazillion start ups that try and stupidly emulate google far outweigh that. We have not yet seen Pegula organize people in a way that breeds success. We have seen McBeane do it, and that includes also controlling Pegula. But when given (taking?) full control Ter-Bear has yet to show the ability to do that at scale. Even if your point were true (which again, it is not. It is blatantly false), there is zero reason why a figure head President relgated to marketing should be present in the hiring of football ops unless 1. they aren't just a figure head and/or 2. their opinion carried significant weight however unqualified/undeserving to give it.

He said that to Terry, about Rex. That's been quoted a billion times

Terry Pegula famously runs a flat management style where anybody can bring him anything and he becomes the arbiter. Fairburn just wrote a whole article about how Adams got to speak out of pocket to Pegula since day one. And you think when Brandon says "Terry don't let him leave without a contract" Terry is turning around and saying "STFU Russ, not your job, you've been relegated to marketing" Lolz. If it weren't for Brandon's missteps the Bills would be trending like th Sabres. Russ Brandon is basically Kevyn Adams 1.0.

Imagine describing somebody as being "relagated to the marketing side" when he's literally the President of two pro sports franchises owned by a guy who proudly wears "flat management structure" on his sleeve.

I think the O/U is probably at about 8.5. My big question is are we talking IR'd Josh or do we get to spend his cap number to help the team? If I get to spend the money I'll take the over. If I don't, I am not sure.

You think 20k people didn't see Pegula in his box watching? That's what we're leaning on? Hopefully one day we can be unsure if Terry is in attendance for a Stanley Cup (LoL) or Super Bowl. Because the leagues and leadership between the three leagues are so similar, lolz.

I think Baker is a top 10 QB. The problem here might be who we are considering franchise QB's. For me it is any QB that a franchise has or will hitch their wagons to with a fresh contract. So I don't have Caleb Williams but I do have Jayden Daniels. It doesn't mean Caleb won't be one. But he isn't right now. If you think there are only 10 franchise QB's, then sure, maybe. But if you think there are 15 or so it isn't really close. Absolutely not. Rough order for me Allen Mahomes Lamar Burrow Hurts Stafford Daniels Baker Stroud Purdy Love Lawrence Dak Tua Murray

It has been a topic for three straight years after they win. He just sends in a short statement. Bandits threads generally devolve into laughing that they are happy not to have him him around because he struggles with the Sabres. The comments are littered with stuff like "Keep the bad juju away, we are doing fine without him". I am not sure what proof you are looking for? Like a picture of him holding the days paper at his house in Florida, with that days 10pm news on in the background?

I am not sure that is what is going on here. I cry every time I watch Cool Runnings (literally, the whole crowd clapping at the end always gets me). My quick, and uneducated $0.02 on this is that the topic is more about Beane maybe lacking some level of professionalism, tact, and/or having some thin skinned. I think there is some confusion between emotional and sensitive. Neither might be a great fit here. I don't think the criticism is Beane telling people that people criticizing his work sometimes hurts his feelings. I think the criticism is attacking talking heads for dumb hot takes and calling data aggregates because they reported that their algorithm ranks him, his team, and/or his work poorly. I am fairly ambivalent on this one. It is professional sports and the NFL. They can be aggressive. Part of me felt like the WGR outburts was refreshing. But it is also strange we are hearing about another instance where he called somebody to mother fork them about an opinion he didn't like.

I'm sorry, are you trying to tell me that One Bills Live is not just fair and balanced reporting and that they don't have the freedom to be as critical as they want to be of any facet of the Bills organization? I found the Beane WGR incident both refreshing and cringy. It was strange and cathartic. I think WGR is among the worst sports radio of any NFL city. Their content blows, their programming is lazy, and their sports IQ is too low for how arrogant and condescending they are. But at the same time, Beane my guy, if you can't handle Schopp's garbage and patronizing takes you'd have a hard time in other cities. This is a bit more of an aggressive take than I would say, but we're in the same arena. I think the WGR moment and whatever happened with PFF is likely partially due to being coddled by local media. The staff is at a tipping point. The expectations are leveled up so he's gone from hero and saving the franchise to being partially blamed for falling short of the new expectations.

They legit had the meeting, told people they weren't getting raises, and put up a slide about maintaining their family lifestyle. I am just a guy on the internet who was dating somebody in the building at that time. (Fun fact, Josh Allen moved to Corona because the Labatt rep no called/no showed to their meeting). I get it, you don't have to believe me. But it's also strange that you have a copy of the slide and an article about multiple sources also corroborating something similar and you still go "meh, I don't think this stranger I don't know would do that"

They shared a building with Labatt. Two businesses that worked together often. I know a handful of people who can corroborate the story.

That's fair. I do think the region can support the Sabres through 5-ish terrible years. But they're not equipped to support them through the worst draught in NHL history. Which is about 3x of what I think the region is capable of. That said, I'm not sure how many regions would support this run. It's never happened before. If the Sabres were the 8th best team in the conference for 14 years they'd still be top 10 in attendance instead of bottom 5.

When Pegula bought the team the Sabres were averaging 99% attendance. They were near the top of the league for capacity for arenas without standing room only (who break 100%) and top 10 overall. The Bills and Sabres regularly sold out during the Bills draught. Anybody saying the Sabres suck because of the region can't have two teams is just making excuses. The day Terry Pegula bought the team the Sabres total P% was 4th in the league. They were easily the best franchise to never win a cup. They've plummeted to 14th. To give anybody an idea of how deep that hole is. If you took Scotty Bowman's best 10 single years coaching, and linked them back to back to back, the Sabres still would not get back the 4th overall. Think about that. A decade of the very best years from the very best coach could not get Buffalo back to where they were pre-Pegula. This franchise is historically bad.

Bob Kraft has by and large been a good NFL owner and has run a stable organization for two decades. Even pre-Brady, Kraft has been in the SB. They may be sticking a bit to get grounded, but he gets a little extra rope because, well, he hasn't had the worst run as an owner in the history of the NHL. The Pegula Sabres are arguably one of the worst runs by an owner in all of sports ownership history. No dude, they are totally the same. John Tavares, the current HC, and maybe the greatest NLL player ever, is currently a HS math teacher in Mississauga as well. So yeah, NHL, NFL, NLL. Tomato Tomato. And again, Pegula has never been to one single Bandits Championship game.

They dont have a deep playoff run every season. In fact they missed a bunch of times and then went years without winning one playoff game. There is no way that anybody legitimately believes that 1. Running an NLL team is comparable to the NFL,MLB, NBA, OR NHL. And 2. That Pegula has 1/8th of the involvement in the Bandits as he does the Sabres or Bills? If you have full faith that Terry Pegula could tear this thing down and rebuild it again, by hiring the right GM and HC combo by himself, then I also have a bridge I would like to sell you. Terry's most successful franchise is the one he gives less than zero forks about. He hasn't attended a single one of their championship games. Lol

One cannot look at a franchise that keeps Kevyn Adams as GM and long time Pegula family friend Jerry Forton employed and think that they are either 1. Well run or 2. Trying to legitimately win hockey games.

Not a lawyer. My my quick two cents is that One Buffalo becomes a marketing ploy under PSE. But as the Sabres spiral, including them isn't awesome. But additionally if they aren't all officially under one roof I think it makes it easier to divest from each one as needed. I think that the dissolution of PSE also allowed the the opportunity to renegotiate any lease agreements. Pegula axed PSE, renegotiated the Blue Cross Arena lease, pulled out of operating the arena, and then Erie County bails on renewing the lease with Pegula and kicks it to the city after the org tried to make it seem like repairs fell on the county (they don't). Fast forward a few months to a year and Pegula has shortened the term on the Amerks lease at BCA from 8 to 5 years (after saying they wouldn't), officially listed the Knighthawks as for sale/stepping down as of 6/30, and we still have no resolution or even whispers on the KBC. Is there one thing that makes me think that Pegula is 100% selling the Sabres? No. But the above pattern seems to point in that direction, paired with the fact that he has been at or near bottom of the league in spending the last 5-6 years. At every step in the above the Pegula camp said "Don't worry, we aren't going to do the thing your worried about". Then they kept doing the thing, the walked out on the agreement, they shortened the Amerks lease, they officially listed the Knighthawks for sale after saying that they were comitted to Rochester. I think what happens to the KBC will be telling. Anything around a 5 year agreement would give me pause, 10 would make me feel safer, but not 100% confident. For reference the last lease was 30 years and the new Bills stadium lease is also 30 years and the prior was 10.

I think Einstein is being hyperbolic. But I had a number of friends in the building at the time, there was in fact a slide, that Kim herself presented, that listed bluntly that one of the core pillars of PSE was "maintain family lifestyle". PSE used to share the building with Labatt.