Offside Number 76

One of the lowest average incomes in the area, too. And whose fault is it that San Diego prices out some fans? San Diego's. Let some other cities deal with blackouts for a while & see if the fans don't get on the owners' backs to change the league and make it more equal.

This is one of the well-known problems of the digital age, unfortunately, and it's a problem for both writers and readers. Writers are under greater pressure than before to push out product quickly, and don't have the time to spend even a few hours digging below the surface before submitting an initial story for publication. Since stories can be corrected so easily--it's not like we have to wait for another paper edition of the publication to come out now--I suspect that editors and publishers push speed over depth (I do mean depth and not accuracy here; there's nothing to suggest that the initial story was inaccurate). So you writers are faced with the problem of having to guess, at times, when it comes to issues of nuance, intent, etc. That can't be fun. On the other hand, there's a bunch of us readers out here, each eager to get the news as quickly as possible, and each eager to draw conclusions from it. And of course, since some readers are also media members, stories containing just facts get picked up by others, who add their own conclusions and spin, which it appears ESPN did here. Imagine if--for example--someone quickly reported the Walker release, just the facts. Then an online columnist picked up on those facts, and opined--just speculated, not reported--that Walker may have been because really, he was very close to Turk Schoenert and may have objected to the firing. Then a radio host reads that opinion and reports the opinion in an authoritative voice, leading more people to conclude that it's a fact that Walker was released because he supported the old OC. And then, the front office has to deny that, which also gets reported, spun, re-reported in the same fashion. Now, we have the story, the story about the story, the story changing the story, etc. It's a mess. I find myself reading as much internet news as ever, but I'm not drawing conclusions from it as quickly. I try to let a day go by. But rarely do I find that the initial reporters are to blame when something blows up and becomes messy (not that this has risen to that level). And John, if you can tolerate it, please stick around; it's interesting to read you and Tim when you talk about your jobs.

#1. Miami Dolphins. #2. Miami Hurricanes. #3. Miami of Ohio. #4. Miami High School, Oklahoma. #5. Miami Dolphins.

Look again--Baltimore is giving 11.

I can't believe I'd never heard that dig before. I like it.

OSU is a decent football atmosphere, but it's not quite as awesome as the media will tell you this year (with a refurbished stadium and a team that will pick up 10 wins, OSU will get attention). It's comparable to a Maryland game, I'd say. The real deal is still down the highway in Norman.

My Dinner with Andre

Of course. Each person's observations are special, and more important than anyone else's, and so each person should start his/her own thread at halftime, and again at the end, of every game. No WAY should this have been discussed in the GDT. It just wouldn't have fit.

That's probably ok. Even if Lindell makes the field goal, the Bills still lose by 1, the way this is set up.

Yeah, same here, except not fifteen years. I don't really find the need to imitate him. Actually, I find the word "take," used that way, annoying. But the guy still entertains me, especially when he gets a good rant going. I don't email the show or call it, either; I guess I'm not a good "clone"; I'm just someone who needs a laugh now and then between 12 and 3. Interesting to see just how passionate some people are with their hatred of Rome. Did he do something to negatively impact these peoples' lives, or are they stuck with a radio with no dial or off switch?

Was this supposed to be funny?

I find Rome to be incredibly entertaining. I didn't always, but I do now. And I know a lot of other folks aren't entertained, but that's them, and I'm me. His schtick, including "it's not Ryan, it's Ryne" (OP didn't get it, or didn't type it correctly, and whichever, it's ok), is really pretty decent comedy for midday sports radio. Plus, he keeps me in touch (NOT informed, I wrote "in touch") with a national sports scene that's often difficult to follow if you live here in Buffalo.

Amen. A maybe on Schobel. Kelsay and Denney have not done a damned thing to make me want the Bills to keep them.

Where is the star? He's here.

No, it's the jersey number of the Bears' starting safety when Ryan devised the defense. The link in the post above has the details.

?

You're going to have fun there. Here's a link to the park's site: http://www.buffalonavalpark.org There are a cruiser, a submarine, and a destroyer in the water, and you can walk on and in all of them. There also are some tanks, fighters, etc. about the place.

Buffalonians eat a lot, drink a lot, and eat and drink WELL. There are hundreds of excellent local restaurants, depending on what you like to eat and what you like to spend. Pretty much great choices in any category you could name, and yeah, I realize I'm responding to someone who is used to a city with good restaurants. Give us an idea of what you like, and you'll have suggestions. If you've never seen Niagara Falls, as White's Bay noted, don't miss it on this trip. The view from the Canadian side is nicer, but the American side presents a much more natural picture, and we have a state park that lets you really wander close to the river and to the falls. If you gamble, well, you have outlets in NO for that, but there are nice casinos on both sides of the Falls. If you like modern art, we actually have a world-class collection--seriously, in Buffalo--at the Albright-Knox. (If you like older art, or (obviously) if you don't like art at all, this gallery will disappoint.) There are some great historic spots; we have a nice museum of local history (across the street from the aforementioned art gallery), the site of Teddy Roosevelt's inauguration, and a terrific military park on the waterfront that allows you to tour WWII-era naval craft (you can roam the boats). These are not very expensive. Live music, like food and drink, is lifeblood to Buffalonians (and I'm guessing you have no shortage of that at home, either). Let us know what you like, from polka to prog-rock, from country to crunk, and someone will clue you in on a couple of venues to check out. If you're staying with family, great; if you're looking for hotels, again, just let us know what you're looking for. The new Embassy Suites on Delaware is an excellent mid-priced hotel, as is the Hampton next door. (The "large" hotels downtown, the Hyatt and Adams Mark, charge about the same and provide less.) The Mansion on Delaware is our best high-end option. There are Comfort Suites, Holiday Inn, and Best Western in the city, and those are less expensive. Finally, like a lot of cities, we have an "alternative" weekly newspaper that lists a lot of goings-on in between its ranting about local and global politics. You may want to check out www.artvoice.com . I hope you enjoy your trip! And if you're after the wings, BeastMode is right: Duff's are the best around, but it's in the 'burbs; Gabriel's Gate has the best in the city. EDIT: How the hell did I forget the architecture? Several of Frank Lloyd Wright's works are here, including a couple of houses and a mausoleum. Delaware Avenue has too many historic mansions to count (including the Roosevelt inaugural site). Louis Sullivan's Guaranty Building shouldn't be missed, and Frederick Law Olmstead designed one hell of a park system. Our Lady of Victory Basilica in South Buffalo is nothing short of breathtaking, no matter your religion, as are the two downtown cathedrals and our City Hall. If you enjoy architecture even casually, you'll have a fun time driving around the city.

I think that this is a factor, but I also think that what drunkenirishmann said is a factor, too.

Except for that random letter "L" in the last word above, I agree 100%.

Possibly because it's just a crappy town, with or without sports, and it does get tons of publicity because of that alone, but you've got a great point. Maybe it's because there are a couple of titles, in different sports, there? Or because neighboring San Francisco had some success (this now is what, 14 years old) in football? The Raiders have fans, but the As are the Pirates of the AL, and the freaking Warriors (yep, Oakland has an NBA team) are so far off the map that no one above even mentioned them. Oakland truly is a crappy sports town. And a crappy town, period.

Here's one reason why they do it: Some visitors to this board want to scan a list of topics, pick out three or four that look interesting, and read them. When many of the threads on the front page deal with the same topic, that's difficult to do. Especially when the starters of subsequent threads could easily have posted in the original one, yet they had something so important, so profound, to tell the rest of us, that they had to start a new one. This is even more frustrating after games, when people can't seem to contain their comments to a gameday or postgame thread; instead, we have to have six threads on Jauron's playcalling, four on the O-Line, and numerous threads labeled "yesterday's game--my take" or something incredibly similar. ("Your take" isn't that important. Really. Put it in an existing thread. Yes, this means you, too. And you.)

You forgot Travis Henry, RB, 2001 (Leavenworth). Kidding. Very interesting list. I'm not sure what conclusions to draw, or whether there are any, but hell, it's definitely interesting.

Well, I'm not going to stay with the game just to see who Tennessee's fifth-string QB is...goodnight, all.

Ch. 2 breaking in to tell me there's severe weather. Look, douchebag, just because I'm watching football doesn't mean that the windows in my house don't work anymore. I can see the weather.