AKC

It's a common area of confusion due to the FDAs requirement that U.S. wines identify sulfites if they exist in small amounts, and yet fermentation causes sulfites naturally that exceed those levels. The question might better be how about wines with no ADDED sulfites- wherein you'll find a few U.S brands who sell them. I've never had one that I'd revisit because they just aren't very good. The key is that winemakers in Europe, Australia, etc., ALL add sulfites to the wine for preservation. You can find organic wines ( that still have sulfites ) with no added sulfites at stores like Wild Oats or other regional health food grocers. One other thing about sulfites- a lot of peole blame them for allergies and headaches that are almost always actually caused by the histamines in wines versus the sulfites. If you're struggling with the efects of a bottle of wine it might be better to try a decent anithistimine prior to imbibing to see if that cures your ills.

Oddly that'd be frowned upon while quaffing huge slugs directly from the barrel is considered appropriate etiquette.

In a big way. I've got next weekend booked in Paso Robles for cellar tastings of wines that won't get bottled until later in the year. It's the payoff for all the volunteer hours I put in setting up my Festival.

Born and raised in Wellsville NY. Went to college in Alfred NY.

I regularly have PBR in the kegerator in my home in the mountains, we drink fridge beer in the Santa Monica beach house because we don't have a full bar there. I had my buddy who owns a famous Hollywood Bar (Barney's Beanery) add it to his drafts and it's become one of his best sellers. My beverage pallette isn't typically challenged by any of the 1000s who attend my Wine Festival every year- AKCs Wine Festival Link But it shouldn't surprise me that someone with your "expertise" in the Quarterback position would display a similar expertise in beverage assessment by missing the fact that PBR out of a keg is actually one of this country's better offerings ;-)

The other side of it is that Shelton, a guy who is apparently in SERIOUS need of mentorship, is already missing time in organization assuming he does eventually become a Bill. The conditioning going on right now includes time with your positons coach, and on balance I can see no positive in a guy with Shelton's reputation missing a single minute with McNally if he eventually ends up in our uni. The reluctance to accept Shelton as a straight up deal might just as easily mean the team is concerned he might not even stick our 53 man roster as it signals our attempts to wrest the most value out of THenry.

I honestly think it's higher than most visitors to this board would guess. There's a loud and repetitive minority who follow the blowhards on turning on players but I believe most fans accept that it's a team sport with shared responsibilities and the players who contribute to the quality of the WNY community while doing the on field and locker room jobs to the best of their abilities deserve better than that minority is capable of offering.

Your post from March 22- My problem with Bledsoe is that the minute he was disrupted in the pocket, he went into the fetal position. I swear, some of his sacks actually took like 5 seconds from the first contact to the point where he was on the ground. What was Drew doing in those five seconds? Fetalizing. How's that for accuracy! Hate on!

I'd guess if you asked 100 real Bills fans whether Bledsoe played tough for us the numbers would come in over 80% in the affirmative. The little percentage of Chuck Dickerson clones who would argue against it become insignificant from a statistical standpoint- much like Dickerson himself.

I'm happy to be identified as an "idiot" by someone who exhibits so little intelligence as to question Drew Bledsoe's courage and toughness and try to hide behind the lie that it's not a "personal shot". Only the most foolish of Bledsoe Haters would go after the guy's strengths and try to falsely paint them as negatives. You are truly an out of control Bledsoe Hater and you shame the vast majority of Bills fans who choose to respect those that have played in our uniform who deserve it. Any objective Bills fan realizes that courage and toughness are traits of Bledsoe that deserve our respect, and your personal attacks on those very things expose you as a fraud. Hate on. Don't expect me to sit idly by while you do it.

Your post from March 22- My problem with Bledsoe is that the minute he was disrupted in the pocket, he went into the fetal position. I swear, some of his sacks actually took like 5 seconds from the first contact to the point where he was on the ground. What was Drew doing in those five seconds? Fetalizing. This about a guy who if he's been nothing in his career he's been tough- never sat out for dings, never laid down to pressure, the absolute antithesis of the Jim Everett types. So if I follow your interpretation of "taking personal shots" you shouldn't be offended at all if point out that you're a lying hypocrite who childishly obsesses about past Bills players. Because, of course, by your defintiion that wouldn't be a personal shot! (and in fact it would contain accurate information, unlike the absolute garbage in your post) Hey, this is fun!

It's not wrong to be constructively critical, to be accurately croitical or fairly critical. But to repetitively and personally attack a player who hasn't raped or murdered anyone, stabbed teammates in the back or shown up 50 pounds overweight but instead showed up to work and obviously tried to perform his duties- and at times did that spectacularly- there's a point at which it's too much. And it's way beyond too much right now.

You're talking about John Elway now, right? Because the same things said about Elway prior to the Pro-Bowl TE and RB showing up is what you're saying here about Bledsoe. And that's just the begining of the list. Favre won 1 SB with what was acknowledged as the best OL in football that year. Don't even get me started on the talent Troy Aikman had. Don't let the obsessive bashers here fool you- the thing that's got their panties all up in a wad is that the Bills did a class thing for a class guy by releasing him, and one of the best coaches in the league rained on their bashing party by signing him immediately. Now they're all making excuses about why Bledsoe might do well in Dallas- it's simply an absolute lack of conviction. If any one of them believed the hate tripe they've spewed here for two seasons they'd step forward and predict Bledsoe has no chance of a .500 season in Dallas this year. chirp chirp chirp chirp

I can't imagine him making the HOF at all unless Parcells pulls off some kind of miracle in Dallas this year. That doesn't change any of the three criteria I've laid out for players who I think deserve better than the infinitely repetitive drivel we suffer from the Bledsoe bashers. You've chosen to make excuses for why Beldsoe is among the top 10 in passing yardage instead of simply acknowledging that the guy has had a long and INCREDIBLY productive career. I can take the top 10 in rushing yardage too and go yada yada yada on why one is less deserving than another but the simple facts are irrefutable- Bledsoe has been durable, he's been sacked less than John Elway and he's put up more yardage than all but 9 other players in history. All while being a postive locker room and community guy. As far as I can see Bills fans aren't being asked by anyone to "feel lucky" that a record setter like Bledsoe played in our uniform. Frankly I think it brings shame upon our fraternity that a few CONTINUE to personally attack him while misrepresenting his career and accomplishments, all while he's no longer on our roster. Yeah, he hasn't won a SB- but neither did my favorite Bill's QB.

Thank you for clarifying the question of whether there is any correlation between windows that won't roll down and obsessing over Dallas Cowboy quarterbacks.

I'll slow down a little to let the short bus catch up- The.....man......has.......thrown.........for........more.........yardage........under....... the......pressure......of........NFL.......defenses...........than...........all......... but.........9.........others.........in...........HISTORY. I should share with you that it's no secret that the chatter on your bus is about how players listed among the top 10 in the most important statistical categories through over 80 years of NFL history "suck". And in fact that conclusion among the members of your community is actually the answer to the age old question of why all the passengers in those other vehicles passing you are pointing and snickering in your direction! Wheeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

One thing there can be no doubt about is that he's 1000 times classier than any "fan" or media goat who for some reason can't allow a player, one who is among the top 10 in passing yardage among all quarterbacks to ever play in the NFL, to simply move on respectfully to another stop in his career journey without continued harassment from jackasses among the media and fan base who wouldn't have the courage to take a second snap at the quarterback position in live NFL action. I'd ask no fan to appreciate a player simply because he was a positive member of the WNY community, a good teammate and he got pounded for our entertainment, but for those of us who DO respect those of our warriors who fall into the above categories I'd ask the rest of you to simply let go of it.

Were you responding to a rumor that he HAD been seen?

I think Hammer mentioned he'd been around at some point in the past couple weeks- it would be good news indeed if that wasn't simply a managment/player meeting. While there're guys on our roster who have more to gain by fully applying themselves right now, there might not be another player who can single-handedly have a bigger impact on our season by working his butt into excellent shape than Mr. Williams. He carries the potential of offering us "automatic" first downs on short yardage plays plus the threat on the goal line. That's something not even the best running backs can do. That right side of our OLine could be one of the best in the league next season with improvements in conditioning from Mike. That means you'll want to control your urge to buy him thewing special at the BT next time you run into him ;-)

I'll get excited when the names in attendance include Williams, Edwards, Anderson and any TE who's ready to work out full speed.

I haven't checked it against the NFLPA CBA but my understanding of IR is that a rostered player injured during a season must continue to be carried under the terms of their contract at the time of the injury until such time as the player can pass a physical for the injury that led to his being placed on the IR, or an injury settlement is reached. It's possible I'm confusing this with another provision- you have any idea?

Assuming the PS IR works the same way as the regular roster he'd have had to be given a clean bill of health before being released and consequently resigned as a FA by us this year.

Maybe the official team profile for him says everything you need to know: Buffalo Bills Player Profile: Ben Sobieski

And the shame is that his column appears in the spot that was at one time perhaps the greatest sports column in the country, "Notes On A Scorecard" by Alan Malamud. Alan lived and breathed local and national sports from the ponies to boxing and all the majors. He made the LA Times a non-contender when he was with the Herald Examiner, unfortunately only to be consumed by the Times where he landed writing the same column in the same spot- the sacred Page Two. It's not overstating it to say that Simers column is sacriligeous based upon the incredible work done in that section of the sports page just a decade ago.

Reading the linked article I'm reminded of a "writer" who pollutes the LA Times sports pages named T.J. Simers. Simers is a talentless jackass who chooses controversy over content and somehow holds a job down while giving no sign of grasping even the most minute understanding of the sports he reports on.