Article bashing Ralph

[LongLiveRalph]

Two thoughts:

 

1. Lockport has a paper? It's probably three pages of DUI arrests and a fourth page of school board and town planning meeting recaps.

 

2. This "column" reads like a "Letter to the Editor." Except at least the editor might read those before sending them to print.

[PromoTheRobot]

This guy is an idiot. First he paints Tom Benson like some kind of saint. Benson had the team set to leave N.O. for good. It was the NFL that stopped him, not some desire to do good. Second, everything Ralph says about the economy is true. No one would think of putting an NFL team in WNY. The Bills exist because of Ralph Wilson.

 

As for the Toronto "money grab" I see it as smart business, not greed. Give up 8 games and 1) add to your bottom line, and 2) lock up the Toronto market from any other NFL team moving in.

 

What asshats like Root completely ignore is that Wilson can sell and move the Bills any time he feels like it. The lease with Erie County is printed on tissue paper. There is absolutely nothing, other than the NFL itself, that would stop the Bills from leaving town. They are still here because of Ralph Wilson Jr.

 

Now is Ralph a meddling, bumbling owner? You bet. Have the Bills been badly run for most of it's 50 year history? No question. Have the Bills treated the fans badly? I don't think so. No one puts a gun to your head to buy tickets. I've been a season ticket holder since just after Donahoe and I think the Bills actually do a nice job of reaching out to me. The teams blow but that has nothing to do with how they treat me as a ticket buyer.

 

My suggestion to Mr. Root and anyone who agrees with him is find a new team to follow and see how they treat you as a fan. I believe the Patriots* are looking for some new bandwagon jumpers. Maybe Mr. Root can take out a mortgage and buy a PSL at the new football palace in New Jersey. If Root thinks the Bills are a money grab, he doesn't know the meaning of the phrase. I suggest he do a little research into how deep other NFL owners reach into their fans pockets before casting aspersions at Ralph Wilson Jr.

 

PTR

[JohnC]

I agree. My only real beef with Ralph is that he doesn't know how to pick good personel to steer the ship and recognize good personel when he sees it. I have no problem with him taking a game to Toronto for more money.

 

I was in Baltimore when the press was very harsh toward Bob Irsay. Called him every name in the book. When Irsay moved the Colts to Indianapolis, those same members of the press where saying we couldn't care less. About 2 years later when the NFL showed no interest in bringing football back to Baltimore the same members of the press were boo hooing about not having football in Baltimore. It took them 16 years to get football back. They treat the owners quite differently now. The lesson there was "Don't bite the hand that gives you football".

We may not be to crazy about some of the things RW does but we certainly don't want to go down the same path Baltimore went down.

 

Are you suggesting that the Baltimore press shouldn't have been harshly critical of Bob Irsay and the way he ran the Baltimore Colts? He was a drunken and erratic fool. He deserved to be severly criticized. Bob Irsay didn't leave Baltimore because of his sensitivity to criticism from the local media. He left for the very simple reason that he got a better offer $$$ from Indianapolis.

 

If one carries out your logic the Oakland and Bay area media shouldn't be critical of the lunatic way the Raiders' owner, Al Davis, runs his franchise because of the fear of owner reprisal. There is no doubt in my mind that Al Davis will move HIS franchise if the whim of movement hits him. He has done it already. Going from Oakland to LA and back to Oakland. In fact, pugnacious Al Davis claims that he continues to own the location rights to LA. Does anyone not see a titanic legal battle developing if someone has the audacity to move a team to his turf?

 

Not legitimately criticizing a buffoon owner like Ralph for fear that he would react by moving would be an abdication of the media's responsibility. Ralph is going to act in his own self-interest no matter what. He has the team on the auction block when he passess because he believes that it is in his self-interest. Regional loyalty is not on his radar screen. A half century of loyalty to his garbage product means nothing to him. The baron owner is about the nickel. Ralph is Ralph. He is what he has always been. It is as simple as that.

[RkFast]

The comment about RW being a "leech" is WAY out of line and this article loses ALL creidibility with that comment.

 

Where was this clown when RW was buying the last 5,000 unsold tickets week after week IN THE GOOD YEARS OF THE 90s to make sure the game wasnt blacked out???!!!??

 

Trash article from a trash guy.

[PromoTheRobot]

Not legitimately criticizing a buffoon owner like Ralph for fear that he would react by moving would be an abdication of the media's responsibility. Ralph is going to act in his own self-interest no matter what. He has the team on the auction block when he passess because he believes that it is in his self-interest. Regional loyalty is not on his radar screen. A half century of loyalty to his garbage product means nothing to him. The baron owner is about the nickel. Ralph is Ralph. He is what he has always been. It is as simple as that.

Wrong.

 

PTR

[LongLiveRalph]

This guy is an idiot. First he paints Tom Benson like some kind of saint. Benson had the team set to leave N.O. for good. It was the NFL that stopped him, not some desire to do good. Second, everything Ralph says about the economy is true. No one would think of putting an NFL team in WNY. The Bills exist because of Ralph Wilson.

 

As for the Toronto "money grab" I see it as smart business, not greed. Give up 8 games and 1) add to your bottom line, and 2) lock up the Toronto market from any other NFL team moving in.

 

What asshats like Root completely ignore is that Wilson can sell and move the Bills any time he feels like it. The lease with Erie County is printed on tissue paper. There is absolutely nothing, other than the NFL itself, that would stop the Bills from leaving town. They are still here because of Ralph Wilson Jr.

 

Now is Ralph a meddling, bumbling owner? You bet. Have the Bills been badly run for most of it's 50 year history? No question. Have the Bills treated the fans badly? I don't think so. No one puts a gun to your head to buy tickets. I've been a season ticket holder since just after Donahoe and I think the Bills actually do a nice job of reaching out to me. The teams blow but that has nothing to do with how they treat me as a ticket buyer.

 

My suggestion to Mr. Root and anyone who agrees with him is find a new team to follow and see how they treat you as a fan. I believe the Patriots* are looking for some new bandwagon jumpers. Maybe Mr. Root can take out a mortgage and buy a PSL at the new football palace in New Jersey. If Root thinks the Bills are a money grab, he doesn't know the meaning of the phrase. I suggest he do a little research into how deep other NFL owners reach into their fans pockets before casting aspersions at Ralph Wilson Jr.

 

PTR

 

Outstanding. Agree on all counts.

[12Kachy]

Well Ralph has no ties to WNY other then the team. He lives and grew up in Detroit. He does have the lowest ticket prices in the league though.

[LongLiveRalph]

Well Ralph has no ties to WNY other then the team. He lives and grew up in Detroit. He does have the lowest ticket prices in the league though.

 

So...Other than owning the #1 commodity in the region for 50 years, he has no ties to the community. Got it.

[PromoTheRobot]

My letter to the Lockport Journal's editor:

 

Dear Mr. Marren,

 

I wanted to express my opinion on the recent column written by George Root about the Bills and their owner Ralph Wilson Jr. In short, it was a poorly-supported hatchet job just short of libel. Mr. Root comes off as a spiteful baby. It's obvious he simply wrote his vitriolic barstool opinion rather than doing any actual research.

 

Letting hacks like Mr. Root write for the Journal only lowers the paper's journalistic credibility.

 

PTR

[Bob in STL]

My letter to the Lockport Journal's editor:

 

Dear Mr. Marren,

 

I wanted to express my opinion on the recent column written by George Root about the Bills and their owner Ralph Wilson Jr. In short, it was a poorly-supported hatchet job just short of libel. Mr. Root comes off as a spiteful baby. It's obvious he simply wrote his vitriolic barstool opinion rather than doing any actual research.

 

Letting hacks like Mr. Root write for the Journal only lowers the paper's journalistic credibility.

 

PTR

 

[Conch]

So whatever winter storms that rip through the northeast, as they do every year, not gets compared to the utter and shear devestation that Katrina brought to a whole region. Do we need to remind Mr. Root that people were without food, water, and medical care for days upon days? Bodies lying in the middle of the street, bunches in mass burials because they had no one to claim their bodies.

 

No ladies and gentleman, Mr. Root is a hack and an alarmist. It is one thing to criticize football moves and personnel being brought in, but to invoke what the people of New Orleans have been through is completely inappropriate.

 

Yes, the Sabres are more user friendly, but I would argue that hockey by nature is a passion sport. Hockey is regarded as a 3rd rate sport in most circles. Hell, I'd contract half the teams south of the mason dixon if I could. I live in DC and I swear to you these people had no idea what hockey was until they got a genius marketing department and Mr. Oven-chicken, who is a first class ass. I hate to use the word cultic, but when you're a hockey fan, you are apart of a fraternity of fanatics.

 

Come down here and witness how the Redskins are run and how Daniel Snyder has drained this community of a ton of money by jacking up ticket, parking, and concession costs while putting a team that is WORSE than the Bills. My friends always rag me for how much the Bills suck, well folks, they have double the payroll and still had 2 less losses and no one was beating down the door to work with this yo-yo.

 

So is Ralph getting a little long in the tooth, yes...do we agree with him all the time, no. Is he one of the top 10 owners in the league...no. But trust me, we are not moving to Toronto or LA, they don't want us and if you want to see a real debacle, go down to Jax and see 40K of fans and not 72. Tim Tebow jerseys already printed because they know they're screwed without him. Goodell even said as much. It was like walking into Howe Field back in Hamburg for a JV game on Thursday night.

 

Let me finally remind Mr. Root that Ralph was one of only 2 owners that voted against the CBA, which is widely viewed as the worst thing ever and it took 3 years for money bags' Jonesey, Fed-Ex Boy, and Kraft cheese to realize it.

 

So are we in the best position in the world, HELL NO! But I am a BILLS fan through and through and I'll be there for the Jags game this year (My bro in law is a Jags fan) and I'll be tailgating at 9:00. If I can catch a Sabres game that same saturday, I'll do that too...

 

But Don't anyone dare compare to what we go through with a winter storm to what that region went through with Katrina. Mr. Root has lost perspective, don't you all do it too...

 

LET'S GO BUFFALO!!!!

 

 

I agree completely with this response. Every NFL owner is in this for two reasons (one) ego; (two) money, Ralph is no different than any of them. They operate their team as a business as they should. Anyone that considers college and pro sports as anything but a business is naive. We choose to give money to these owners our money by buying $100 shirts with someone else's name, paying to see whatever foul brand of football they throw on the field and buying all of their other crap. The only losers are our pocketbooks and those that choose to wear someone else's name. Get a measure of self respect, the only name on your shirt should be your own. Luckily, my last name is Kelly.

[BYGD1]

This was written by a 2 bit hack, this is a hobby for this guy, I would ignore him

[RkFast]

Outstanding. Agree on all counts.

 

+1,0000000000000.

 

Outstanding, PTR.

 

Although your "go find another team to root for" mantra is getting a bit repetititve.

[PromoTheRobot]

+1,0000000000000.

 

Outstanding, PTR.

 

Although your "go find another team to root for" mantra is getting a bit repetititve.

It's a crutch. All writers fall into bad habits.

 

PTR

[transient]

My letter to the Lockport Journal's editor:

 

Dear Mr. Marren,

 

I wanted to express my opinion on the recent column written by George Root about the Bills and their owner Ralph Wilson Jr. In short, it was a poorly-supported hatchet job just short of libel. Mr. Root comes off as a spiteful baby. It's obvious he simply wrote his vitriolic barstool opinion rather than doing any actual research.

 

Letting hacks like Mr. Root write for the Journal only lowers the paper's journalistic credibility.

 

PTR

 

While I agree with your assessment of the article, to suggest that a throw-away rag has any journalistic credibility is laughable. It's the Lockport Journal, if they didn't let any hack with a 3rd grade vocabulary write for them, they'd actually have to pay someone to do it.

[C.Biscuit97]

The Ralph bashing is so silly. How much did Ralph get killed when he came out and said the CBA was terrible? Now, he looks like a prophet. There's a difference between wanting to win and knowing how to win. Ralph wants to win, he just doesn't know how. He's always spent on players and probably thought he had his Brees in Bledsoe. Unfortunately for us, it didn't work out that way.

[THE GUY YELLING BEHIND YOU]

It's a crutch. All writers fall into bad habits.

 

PTR

 

PTR is correct...I fully subscribe the with or against us mantra, but in regards to a previous poster, if this team ever moves, I am not following it. I root for the Buffalo teams, not someone else's. I'd still have college football, which is different, I root for the Gators and for some reason have always been a fan.

 

But if the Bills move, the NFL is dead to me...just more of my money I can put towards Sabres games I can get to in DC, Pitt, NC or the occasional trip back to mecca, uh I mean Buffalo.

[transient]

The Ralph bashing is so silly. How much did Ralph get killed when he came out and said the CBA was terrible? Now, he looks like a prophet. There's a difference between wanting to win and knowing how to win. Ralph wants to win, he just doesn't know how. He's always spent on players and probably thought he had his Brees in Bledsoe. Unfortunately for us, it didn't work out that way.

 

I agree. At the outset, the hiring of Donahoe was lauded widely as a great move, and both Williams and Mularkey were up and coming coaching candidates, as well. The moves were made based on the desire to win. Who could have predicted upfront that these moves would have blown up in his face so badly.

[billsfreak]

The comment about RW being a "leech" is WAY out of line and this article loses ALL creidibility with that comment.

 

Where was this clown when RW was buying the last 5,000 unsold tickets week after week IN THE GOOD YEARS OF THE 90s to make sure the game wasnt blacked out???!!!??

 

Trash article from a trash guy.

I can remember Jim Kelly buying thousands of unsold tickets and giving them to children's organizations, but Ralph? Can you really buy something from yourself? Kinda like taking money from you back pocket and putting it in your front pocket but adding more to it with concession and souvenir sales. He makes more by giving them away than leaving the seats empty.

[finknottle]

The article would have you believe that Benson is a good guy and Wilson is not.

 

I have several friends who are rabid football fans from New Orleans, and as best as I can tell Benson has been getting exactly the same kind of crap Wilson does: the Saints will never be winners until Benson is gone, he meddles, he's a cheap bastard, and so on.

 

The difference is that the Saints won this year. So every writer with an axe to grind suddenly starts pointing to Benson and saying "See? We need an owner like that!" Wilson may or may not be the obstacle people claim. Jumping on the great-owner-Benson bandwagon only raises into question whether the writer knows anything at all.