jack_spikes Posted February 23, 2010 Share Posted February 23, 2010 Includes infamous "armpit of the east" comment from SF Chronicle's Glenn Dickey http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/art...018/1/index.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickey Posted February 23, 2010 Share Posted February 23, 2010 Includes infamous "armpit of the east" comment from SF Chronicle's Glenn Dickey http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/art...018/1/index.htm Thanks for a great read. As old as the comments from Wilson are, I think it likely he still feels the same way all these years later. In particular, his comment about not drafting Simpson only to trade him for 6 or 7 players forgotten in a year because he has been through the quality vs. quantity thing before is revealing. It is the same reason why the Bills don't seem, as an organization, to be fond of trade downs in the draft. Trade downs, because they seem so logical and so clever, draws supporters among us draft obsessed fans every year. I am not a big fan of the idea but mostly because when you are drafting outside the top 5 or 6 spots, there aren't many teams who are going to want to trade up with you. It just isn't a very likley scenario to bother building a draft strategy around it. On top of that, you simply have to have blue chippers. And yes, every once in awhile you get lucky with an Andre Reed type, a blue chipper drafted relatively late but the odds are still going to be better to find one early rather than late. Once upon a time I listed out all the OL picks we made in the first two or three rounds going back many years and as it turne out, pretty much every longtime starter/blue chipper we have ever had on the line was drafted relatively high. Sure, there were some Mike Williams nightmares in there too but overall, we have found our best people in the early rounds. For good or bad, I don't think Ralph has changed much and I wouldn't be surprised if what he believed in 1969 about quantity vs. quality is what he still believes today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metzelaars_lives Posted February 23, 2010 Share Posted February 23, 2010 I think it's funny that in 1969, they said that Buffalo was trapped in 1948. When I was there in the 90's, people were stuck in the 80's. In the 2000's, people were still rockin late 90's Backstreet style (frosted tips, fake tans, black leather jackets). I don't live there anymore, but I'd be willing to bet now there's a heavy Jersey Shore influence on Chippewa. Then again, you'll always have the guys from the suburbs rockin an Apex Bills jacket from 1992 with tight stone-washed jeans, white sneakers and a mustache. Man I love that city. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC Tom Posted February 23, 2010 Share Posted February 23, 2010 The most startling thing about that article is how much things haven't changed in 40 years. The county legislature diddling about what to do about developing a $50M stadium? My, how things change. And 1948 wouldn't be a bad year for Buffalo to be stuck in, all things considered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob in STL Posted February 23, 2010 Share Posted February 23, 2010 I think it's funny that in 1969, they said that Buffalo was trapped in 1948. When I was there in the 90's, people were stuck in the 80's. In the 2000's, people were still rockin late 90's Backstreet style (frosted tips, fake tans, black leather jackets). I don't live there anymore, but I'd be willing to bet now there's a heavy Jersey Shore influence on Chippewa. Then again, you'll always have the guys from the suburbs rockin an Apex Bills jacket from 1992 with tight stone-washed jeans, white sneakers and a mustache. Man I love that city. You missed the point on the 1948 comment an it has nothing to do with fashion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metzelaars_lives Posted February 23, 2010 Share Posted February 23, 2010 You missed the point on the 1948 comment an it has nothing to do with fashion. Dickey, who accompanied the Oakland Raiders to Buffalo when the AFL champions beat a particularly lame edition of the beloved home-town Bills 48-6, added, "Women are still wearing skirts below the knees, and men are wearing wide-lapel jackets. It's like watching a 1948 movie." Wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KRC Posted February 23, 2010 Share Posted February 23, 2010 And 1948 wouldn't be a bad year for Buffalo to be stuck in, all things considered. Yeah...The Bills made the championship game that year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chandler#81 Posted February 23, 2010 Share Posted February 23, 2010 Outstanding article! Thanks! Wilson agreed to stay for a minimum of three years, provided a lease could be arranged for the use of a crumbling concrete WPA project known as War Memorial Stadium. The lease was signed, and Wilson's Bills moved into their new home—an arena that looked as if whatever war it was a memorial to had been fought within its confines. Loved the Rockpile! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weehawk Posted February 23, 2010 Share Posted February 23, 2010 Wow! I got a little choked up reading that. Just imagine what the city could have been with a downtown dome, an MLB team, and the Sabres. I cant count the Braves because we proved that we weren't a pro b-ball town. People have no problem with Pittsburgh and they have three of the big four sports teams there. Same with Cleveland. These are rust belt cities with lousy weather that somehow scored the big ones that Buffalo could not. Some of the stats were sad too compared to now... 17th nationally in effective buying power - I could not find our current rank, but it's not close to 17 Buffalo's television market ranks in the top 15 in the United States - We're 52 now Man, have we come a far way down from '69. This is just another argument that in order to stay in the NFL, the area is going to have to find a way to fund a renovation of RWS. I think that the best investment anyone could make right now is to get Sabres season tix. If the Bills leave (and I think it's a possibility), the Sabres waiting list will make the Maple Leafs list look pale in comparison. The FIRST thing a new Bills owner is going to want is either a new stadium or a "major" renovation of RWS. I highly doubt that any new owner will keep the team here without one or the other. We might as well get the ball rolling now, but I'm sure we wont given NYs dysfunctional govt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EZC-Boston Posted February 23, 2010 Share Posted February 23, 2010 SI Vault is one of the web's hidden gems in my opinion. If I need some reading material for the sh*tter and don't see anything of note on espn.com or cnn.com, it's my next stop. You can always find something interesting to read. edit - note to mods had to censor myself Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Griffin Posted February 23, 2010 Share Posted February 23, 2010 I think it's funny that in 1969, they said that Buffalo was trapped in 1948. When I was there in the 90's, people were stuck in the 80's. In the 2000's, people were still rockin late 90's Backstreet style (frosted tips, fake tans, black leather jackets). I don't live there anymore, but I'd be willing to bet now there's a heavy Jersey Shore influence on Chippewa. Then again, you'll always have the guys from the suburbs rockin an Apex Bills jacket from 1992 with tight stone-washed jeans, white sneakers and a mustache. Man I love that city. Not jeans, real Bills fans rock the Zubaz: http://www.kukoda.com/wp-content/zubaz2.jpg or http://www.buffalorising.com/zubaz_ful_18598314.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
don_of_manhattan Posted February 23, 2010 Share Posted February 23, 2010 Includes infamous "armpit of the east" comment from SF Chronicle's Glenn Dickey http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/art...018/1/index.htm That was a GREAT read - thanks for posting! I found some of the commentary so unnecessarily harsh. The tone he took in the last paragraph could have been used throughout. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob in STL Posted February 23, 2010 Share Posted February 23, 2010 Dickey, who accompanied the Oakland Raiders to Buffalo when the AFL champions beat a particularly lame edition of the beloved home-town Bills 48-6, added, "Women are still wearing skirts below the knees, and men are wearing wide-lapel jackets. It's like watching a 1948 movie." Wrong. I guess I should have said his mockery of the Buffalo goes beyond fashion. I try not to read this article any more. I saw it when it came out and it has gotten worse with time. It is irresponsible journalism that goes beyond humor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DDD Posted February 23, 2010 Share Posted February 23, 2010 Someone posted this link a year or two ago. It's a good read the 2nd time around too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birdog1960 Posted February 23, 2010 Share Posted February 23, 2010 Someone posted this link a year or two ago. It's a good read the 2nd time around too. I posted it about a month ago with reference to rw's statement that "buffalonians will support a loser as well as any city" and the only response was that I really hold a grudge since I cited a 1969 article. No one admitted to reading the article. It seems context dictates interest on the stadium wall. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birdog1960 Posted February 23, 2010 Share Posted February 23, 2010 the writer seemed to really understand rw.."not given to dilettantish dabbling in sports..and was soothsayerlike in stating he would move the team to the yukon if he could make money there. I think the writing is even more impressive in retrospect. Winning wasn't the priority then and it isn't now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
campus school Posted February 24, 2010 Share Posted February 24, 2010 If you really want an insight into Buffalo when it was at its cross-roads in the 1960's, read "Power Failure" by Diana Dillaway. She was part of the Nichols/Buffalo Seminary, Buffalo Club, Saturn Club, Driscoll's Dancing School, Trinity and Westminster social circle that ruled this town. Also considered--but blocked by the old guard bankers and lawyers for fear of losing control--was the UB campus now in Amherst being built downtown as well, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alaska Darin Posted February 24, 2010 Share Posted February 24, 2010 SI Vault is one of the web's hidden gems in my opinion. If I need some reading material for the sh*tter and don't see anything of note on espn.com or cnn.com, it's my next stop. You can always find something interesting to read. edit - note to mods had to censor myself I think it's awesome too. The big problem I have with it is it shows just how far journalism (and that particular magazine) has fallen. SI was a staple in our house. I read every edition cover-to-cover. Now I might pick it up if there's nothing else at the barber shop. How the mighty has fallen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori Posted February 24, 2010 Share Posted February 24, 2010 Someone posted this link a year or two ago. It's a good read the 2nd time around too. Yeah, back when the SI Vault made its debut ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave mcbride Posted February 24, 2010 Share Posted February 24, 2010 Great piece. SI is nothing like it used to be (especially since Dr. Z became ill). Thanks for posting it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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