Offside Number 76

NHL / Sabres first NFL / Bills somewhat distant second, and would be very distant without a local team MLB / not really a fan anymore NBA / never was a fan. Is it still scripted?

I know. I just don't want to add to it.

There are. I don't like paying for them, and I won't like paying for NFL Network either, if they ever do a deal with Time Warner. Multiple wrongs don't make a right. Besides that, I'm a casual football fan. I don't need the network, especially during the fall, when there's really good college football to watch in addition to or even instead of the NFL "product," and especially during the spring, when there's no football, and actually, generally. I'm pretty content with a selection of 4-5 games per weekend, and I don't need the NFL Network's chatterers in between games, since the league already is over-covered by just about every sports website and network out there. What remains to be said, really? So, nope, I don't want NFL Network on my basic cable in Buffalo. Sorry, folks, but I think you should buy it if you want it, just like everything else in the world. I also think the same of HGTV, Spike, MTV, The Golf Network, and whatever else. (Although Univision does have some nice lookin' women, even if I can't understand what they're saying.) Actually, I feel the same way about the channels I actually watch. If I paid for those, but not the others, I'd be fine. For you folks out there who don't like my favorite sport (hockey), I really don't think you should have to pay for MSG to be carried on basic. I know, that's not the way cable works, and I fully expect a lecture from The Dean on this (for the second time on this issue), but seriously, why should I have to subsidize someone else's viewing?

The band, , the album.

Sure. I'll sell him a ticket.

But you couldn't fix "Bloomburgh"? Kidding.

But not SF, LA, NYC, or Milwaukee, apparently. With the possible exception of Milwaukee (I know nothing about the place), the rest are doing better than Buffalo is. And they tend to be meritocracies, LA's notorious police force notwithstanding. I can name some other, more well-integrated cities, that also are doing better: DC, Atlanta, Charlotte (that's two Deep South cities, MORE integrated, and doing better), and San Antonio. Moreover, we need to put not just race, but ethnicity, aside in WNY. No more, "Hey, my name's O'Neill, so I'll vote for Murphy." Gotta stop. Most American cities really don't think about ethnicity at all--you're American, or not. The Rust Belt cities, not so much, but where are those cities (including Buffalo)?

Ever notice that we're a little, um, behind, here in Buffalo? That maybe we're not doing as well, economically, as the rest of the country? There's a lot of racism and ethnic bias here. I've lived in a lot of places, and this is pretty unique. This bs keeps Buffalo behind, and yes, I know that the current mayor is black. Now, I see one black person in a suit in downtown Buffalo--him. That's up from zero.

That's a fact (not sure about the Arabian-Americans, though, and maybe I'm not sure because it's a group that is newer to the US). Same with every voluntary immigrant group--patronize "your own," and let the group's entrepreneurs lead the way to cultural assimilation. It's tried-and-true in this country, and it lasts today in some of America's more segregated communities (there can't be a better example than Buffalo, can there?). There are two key differences: 1. Those groups didn't try to buy from their group on an exclusive basis. That's going to make it tougher on the buyers in this movement. 2. Those groups weren't quite as visually different, so it was easier to assimilate. That actually makes this movement more meaningful. It's an interesting movement. I don't think it can succeed on an exclusive basis, but as entrepreneurship is a key component of building wealth, it's a good idea.

There is, and it's your math. It's about 2.75 times as good. It's nowhere near 3.5. Where the hell did you get 3.5 from?

Ok. First, "its," not "it's," in that context, and "intra," not "inter." (Do you drive an MBW?) Next: Good teams often win divisions. Good teams also often beat their divisional opponents. Again, you are pointing out a statistic that we all know about, but you aren't telling us why the chicken comes before the egg. We could take the same stat set and say, wow, the team that wins the division beats its division opponents x% of the time, and x is going to be a big number. A good team is likely to both win its division and win most of its divisional games. The reason: it's (not "its," this time) a good team.

Thanks for fixing it. It's still not a new concept. And cause and effect might be mixed up here; the great team has a better chance of winning the division, just as the team that wins the division has a better chance of being great.

If I were Deep Voice, I'd say... Yea(h)

Weren't there 5 teams in the AFC East then, meaning that the Bills would have played 8, not 6, games against division opponents? Redo it and include the Colts. But the point is well-taken (even if it's not new): Gotta win the division games.

Eric Moulds is one of the two greatest Bills receivers of all time? How young is Allen Wilson?

To answer the question, it's crack. But his dealer can afford a BMW.

Very cool & thanks. I love the fake crowd noise--or was that Oilers home crowd really cheering for the Bills in exactly the same manner as the Buffalo home crowd? EDIT--and the season ticket pitch at the end--hilarious. $42 was the top season ticket price. Yeah, that's for the whole season.

http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/football...ry/1027505.html

Are you referring to this guy?

They should have grabbed a linebacker instead.

I don't think the Rams are a QB away from doing anything this year, but if the plan is for him to sit and learn for one or two years, it's not that bad of an idea. If they're in full rebuilding mode, they may as well try to develop a young QB now, rather than get all of the pieces in place just to spend a first-rounder on a QB in two years and watch him fail as a rookie with a talented rest of the team.

1. Look at the screenname. 2. Look at the "Joined" date.

http://www.sporcle.com/games/1stroundqb.php What's really interesting, to me, is the fact that more people remember Losman than remember Kelly (see the results after you play).

Same.

I comprehend the situation just fine, thanks, and I still don't agree with you. Jewish people (not "Jews," by the way) in New York City are no more or less important than Jewish people anywhere else. Your very special city can deal with it this year, and next year it will be someone else's turn. It isn't fair to Jewish people in other cities if they get stuck with games on High Holidays because New York refuses them. Repeating the number of Jewish people in New York won't make it fair, either.