Bucky and Sully Blackballed By The Pegulas?

[Ol Dirty B]

Just now, Steptide said:

Dittulio

 

Yea, I take anything he says with a grain of salt. 

[Steptide]

6 minutes ago, Ol Dirty B said:

 

Yea, I take anything he says with a grain of salt. 

Like I said, it could be true or it could be complete non sense. Dittulio isn't a drama queen sports guy though. It's not like he's trying to get a job at ESPN. I believe that he probably did hear it from a reliable source, but still doesn't make it true necessarily 

[MJS]

4 hours ago, Idandria said:

And Schopp and bulldog get a pass? They are awful to the Bills. Could the Pegulas please ban them as well. 

 

Yes please.

 

And I don't buy that it is extremely rare in the NFL. There are plenty of owners who have thin skin and get easily offended and I bet journalists get black balled all the time.

[Ol Dirty B]

8 minutes ago, Steptide said:

Like I said, it could be true or it could be complete non sense. Dittulio isn't a drama queen sports guy though. It's not like he's trying to get a job at ESPN. I believe that he probably did hear it from a reliable source, but still doesn't make it true necessarily 

 

No it is interesting, thanks for sharing. And I don't mean that sarcastically at all.

[Jpsredemption]

29 minutes ago, Bob in STL said:

I never found Bucly or Sulky to be very good at covering Buffalo sports teams.  The easiest thing to do is criticize, which they did in spades.  The hardest thing to do is get breaking news and meaningful insights, which they almost never did.   Time and time again the biggest Bills news would come from National media outlets and these two clowns played catch-up. 

 

Just because you are THE MEDIA doesn’t mean you don’t have to be good at your job.  Good riddance.  I don’t miss them and I avoid their second rate outlet.  

...and how much of their criticism was wrong over the years? Years of futility fueled their criticism.

 

If anything they've been advocates for the organization provide their fans with a better product.

[Ol Dirty B]

12 minutes ago, MJS said:

 

Yes please.

 

And I don't buy that it is extremely rare in the NFL. There are plenty of owners who have thin skin and get easily offended and I bet journalists get black balled all the time.

 

It doesn't happen all the time because it's an awful look. 

 

The Marlins did this to a guy who had press credentials for I believe over a decade. I don't even like baseball, but heard about it because it made national news. It was on deadspin.com, the NY post, ESPN radio. 

 

https://deadspin.com/petty-ass-derek-jeter-yanks-credentials-from-radio-host-1826168084.

 

It probably speaks more to irreverence of these two than it being a common thing. They don't really have anyone backing them.

 

Btw, that story ended with that reporter being granted credentials again.

 

Edited November 7, 2018 by Ol Dirty B

[loyal2dagame]

Hey, i'm Terry Pegula's son. I am entitled to one sixth of his holdings...... where's the facts to back this up?  They don't matter.  Just take ME at my word.  

This is what Bucky is doing.  Much like most B-Lo news reporters, making statements with no facts to back them up, if only opinions or hot takes.

People got tired of the coloumnists pretending to be hosts of Pardon The Interuption on daily Bills  and Sabres articles. No in depth investigation, ONLY their opinions- which were a broken record. And it got old.  And they got run out. And now they're bitter. 

Where's the facts on Bucky's claim?  Sounds like sour grapes..... until there's evidence. 

Edited November 7, 2018 by loyal2dagame

[Peace Frog]

I happen to agree with Bucky & Sully for the most part.  They may be negative most of the time, but the Bills suck most of the time.

[CommonCents]

13 minutes ago, loyal2dagame said:

Hey, i'm Terry Pegula's son. I am entitled to one sixth of his holdings...... where's the facts to back this up?  They don't matter.  Just take ME at my word.  

This is what Bucky is doing.  Much like most B-Lo news reporters, making statements with no facts to back them up, if only opinions or hot takes.

People got tired of the coloumnists pretending to be hosts of Pardon The Interuption on daily Bills  and Sabres articles. No in depth investigation, ONLY their opinions- which were a broken record. And it got old.  And they got run out. And now they're bitter. 

Where's the facts on Bucky's claim?  Sounds like sour grapes..... until there's evidence. 

Hey son, can you ask your dad to let the dog pick the next coach? 

[Phil The Thrill]

Funny thing is a lot of fans in this forum

have said “Bucky and Sully are always negative” then proceed to complain and over exaggerate about how bad Brandon Beane and Sean McDermott have done this season.  I guess it’s ok to be “negative” if you are a fan. 

[Mr. WEO]

4 hours ago, vincec said:

I’ve actually heard Murphy cut off Steve Tasker when he was criticizing the team. I think it was after the week two loss.

 

I say censoring the press is good if they have views that I disagree with.

 

 

WTF??  lol

[Ol Dirty B]

2 hours ago, Billsguy said:

I totally agree. What the !@#$ is wrong with these knuckledraggers who are against free speech and freedom of the press?

Are you kidding me? What the hell is wrong with a dissenting point of view? This is America you a$$holes. 

 

I am really worried for this country if we believe it is alright to attack the free press and complain about freedom of speech. The Pegulas should be ashamed of themselves! What an un-American disgraceful act of cowardice. What a bunch of pussies who are afraid to hear criticism. You may disagree with Sullivan and Gleason, but it is an American right to be able to express their opinions without being blackballed by some arrogant thin skinned billionaire.

God save America from these morons.

 

While I agree with some of what you're saying. About how people react to criticism.

 

This isn't a first amendment issue at all. Two guys not being granted access to your football team has nothing to do with the state of the country, and certainly isn't ruining it.

 

Get a grip. I criticize the Pegulas and think it's a bit of a bush league move. You are taking this to a crazy place.

 

Anyways, what's your opinion on Kaepernick not being in the league, just curious.

2 hours ago, DC Tom said:

 

Can you recommend one that explains why anyone claiming to be press has an absolute right to have any question answered by whomever they demand it from?

 

He doesn't know what he's talking about. Him telling anyone to crack open a history book is incredible.

 

He lacks perspective, or even really an understanding of what he's talking about.

Edited November 7, 2018 by Ol Dirty B

[Thurman#1]

6 hours ago, racecitybills said:

 

 

Good for the Pegulas.  Those two clowns have blamed everything but cholera on the Bills organization.

 

Go Pound Sand.

 

You deserve nothing.

 

 

They blamed the Bills for sucking for a long time. Because the Bills sucked for a long time.

 

Overall I like the Pegulas. But if true, this is juvenile.

Edited November 7, 2018 by Thurman#1

[Bob in STL]

1 hour ago, Jpsredemption said:

...and how much of their criticism was wrong over the years? Years of futility fueled their criticism.

 

If anything they've been advocates for the organization provide their fans with a better product.

Well since their performance was so stellar, and they are so widely respected in their field, I am sure they will have no trouble finding big jobs working for major news outlets or sports networks.

 

Yet, for some reason, they are doing what ... an AM radio gig in Buffalo and posting their drivel on third rate internet sites.   

[Buffalo716]

They don’t know jack from Jill 

 

There are lots of people more knowledgeable about the game here than those clowns and we can’t ask questions 

 

its not a right 

[NoHuddleKelly12]

7 hours ago, May Day 10 said:

I think its crappy, the Pegulas have thin skin, and as owners, deserve to have poop thrown their way.

 

 

People complain about john Murphy's sunshine and rainbows radio, yet loathe the media who is hard on the team.

Funny thing is that as I’m streaming WGR on my lunch break or commuting down here in the A, I feel like Murph has been very critical of the Bills of late, more so than Tasker—to the point where I took notice of it because I was expecting more Chris Brown lite than anything else from him. Also, the local Atlanta media is generally more powder puff on the Falcons than WGR on Bills, IMO, even during early bad stretch this year for them 

[LABILLBACKER]

Who cares about Sucky & Bully

[CaptnCoke11]

Awww Poor Terry get his feelings hurt 

[HankBulloughMellencamp]

7 hours ago, Bob in STL said:

Yet, for some reason, they are doing what ... an AM radio gig in Buffalo and posting their drivel on third rate internet sites.   

 

I wonder if Bucky is still on there promoting his "AD for a day" grand vision for UB Athletics... cutting the football program down to the studs because it's too expensive or whatever.

 

Bucky admonished former AD Danny White at every turn, despite White helping to build what now stands (and who has already injected considerable life into the UCF athletic programs). Visionary Bucky wanted to scale back the level of football competition, presumably to better match Coach Leipold's experience.  Instead, the program will soon have a double digit win season and several high NFL draft picks to go along with All-Pro Khalil Mack. He's an idiot.

 

We are now stepping into the golden age of UB Athletics, with football at 9-1 and an impending bowl bid.  MBB is heavily favored to win the MAC and then some, & WBB is coming off a sweet 16 appearance. We will enjoy Coach Oats and Coach Jack as long as we have them, as they are each bound to get tough-to-refuse offers as soon as this spring. 

 

And these three highest profile UB athletic programs are all built to sustain that level of success for the foreseeable future.

 

Eff off Bucky!!! 

(and Sully, who was above covering UB athletics unless it meant a free road trip to Cleveland or wherever)

Edited November 7, 2018 by HankBulloughMellencamp

[PromoTheRobot]

13 hours ago, Steptide said:

Off topic, but today I was listening to a local talk show in Rochester. One of the hosts, who's a well known sports guy in Rochester, was talking about how the Pegulas, or Terry, are the reason for the whole Peterman debacle. Said a source close to the team said Terry was in love with Peterman and is the reason he started against the Chargers last year and then again at the beggining of this season. Also the reason he's still on this team. He didn't say the source, but said if he could say the source, we'd all know it was 100% credible. Anyways, it was pretty interesting. Don't know if any other Rochester folk here heard it

 

I'm betting it was Bob Matthews. Not exactly Peter King. I'm also betting his source was one of the drunks who call his radio show.

 

Why can't you just say who it was? It's not a state secret.

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

15 minutes ago, PromoTheRobot said:

 

I'm betting it was Bob Matthews. Not exactly Peter King. I'm also betting his source was one of the drunks who call his radio show.

 

Why can't you just say who it was? It's not a state secret.

Dunkirk Dave calls Rochester sports shows?!

[Metal Man]

Everyone defending Sully and saying the Pegulas are trying to control the negative narrative might not have a clear idea about just how bad Sully has been during his time covering the Bills.

 

There was a post on here a couple months ago that summed it up perfectly by describing a radio interview Sully did in which the host was asking him about the negative articles Sully kept writing about TO being a locker room cancer and what not. Despite the fact that there was no evidence that TO was doing anything other than trying to be a good teammate Sully just kept insisting he was a bad player and the Bills made a terrible move bringing him in no matter what kind of proof to the contrary the host kept offering.

 

This is typical Sully over the years. Will just argue his negative take to his grave regardless of facts. It is definitely a valid argument that the dissenting voice should be given a chance to speak but Sully is so far beyond reason that it shouldn't surprise anyone that he isn't given team access anymore. 

 

Like someone else pointed out in this thread Sully is just that crusading negative Bills fan who can never stop posting pessimistic views on the boards so who can blame the Pegulas for putting him on their ignore list.

[Mickey]

I get that people don't really care about these two particular sports reporters but the thing is, if the Bills organization can get away with this kind of thing, they can do it to reporters you like as well as those you don't. Not cool. 

[May Day 10]

1 hour ago, HankBulloughMellencamp said:

 

I wonder if Bucky is still on there promoting his "AD for a day" grand vision for UB Athletics... cutting the football program down to the studs because it's too expensive or whatever.

 

Bucky admonished former AD Danny White at every turn, despite White helping to build what now stands (and who has already injected considerable life into the UCF athletic programs). Visionary Bucky wanted to scale back the level of football competition, presumably to better match Coach Leipold's experience.  Instead, the program will soon have a double digit win season and several high NFL draft picks to go along with All-Pro Khalil Mack. He's an idiot.

 

We are now stepping into the golden age of UB Athletics, with football at 9-1 and an impending bowl bid.  MBB is heavily favored to win the MAC and then some, & WBB is coming off a sweet 16 appearance. We will enjoy Coach Oats and Coach Jack as long as we have them, as they are each bound to get tough-to-refuse offers as soon as this spring. 

 

And these three highest profile UB athletic programs are all built to sustain that level of success for the foreseeable future.

 

Eff off Bucky!!! 

(and Sully, who was above covering UB athletics unless it meant a free road trip to Cleveland or wherever)

 

While I disagreed with that column.  From what I recall, it was basically slide football back and put a bunch of eggs into the basketball program and take that to a high (national) level.   I did think that it made some valid points, and I'm not going to bash a columnist for writing his/her opinion.  It did create some dialogue between me and some friends and people online.  I certainly don't want these guys locked out and blacklisted by not cow-towing to ownership due to financial and access leverage.  Freezing them out because they say negative things (that frankly, are justified) is a weak move and concerning.  Think Sal apologizing to McDermott for having the 'nerve' to ask if a punter was receiving some payment or something.  

I recall many positive columns by Sullivan and Gleason during the Sabres' runs of 2005-2007.  

 

 

When Pegula bought the Sabres, at the PC or just after, he went on some laughable and incredibly naive tangent that the local media should only write positive things about the organization and the players.    It kind of perked everyone's ears, but everyone was so geeked out about hearing "multiple stanley cups" that it kind of went by the wayside.  TBN mocked him for it (rightly so), and since then there has been a tense feud between Pegula(s) and TBN.  Sullivan isnt going to sit there and listen to Pegula (with a booger hanging out of his nose) dictate what he can and cant write about his sports teams.  Sorry, Sullivan is in the right, whether you agree or disagree with his opinions.  Does Bob Kraft try to shut down that Shaughnessy guy?  

 

[\GoBillsInDallas/]

15 hours ago, Phil The Thrill said:

Later he said that they both tried to get press credentials from the Bills to cover the team.  The Bills denied their website The Maven - which is kind of like a free version of The Athletic - and are the only team in the NFL team to deny press rights to The Maven.  He later tried getting credentialed through 1270 AM, where he has a radio show.  1270 AM was already approved but since Bucky and Sully weren’t on the original press list for 1270, they were again denied.  Again, Bucky says this is very rare in the NFL.

 

This is not rare, this is pretty much the norm for all pro sports teams.

Here's the Houston Texans' policy as an example:

 

https://www.houstontexans.com/team/credentials

 

[bigK14094]

Unprofessional behavior gets the same in return.  so be it, the money talks.  I am ok with that....as I understand the system.  I also dropped my season tickets because of the management mess in the Bills organization which continues under new owners.  In this case, my money walks........

[teef]

i've never paid any attention to sully or bucky, so i've never understood the anger towards them.  at the same time, i don't think the pegulas shutting them out is petty either.  guess what?  actions have consequences.  people just want to be able to spout off in any way they want, yet they expect no negative reaction.  that's not how this world works.  i have no idea what happened with these two and the pegulas, but if they consistently come off as condescending and rude, they might get blow back.  it's more than ok to challenge the organization, but if you do it in a d-bag manner, expect that you may be treated in the same way back.

[PromoTheRobot]

54 minutes ago, Metal Man said:

Everyone defending Sully and saying the Pegulas are trying to control the negative narrative might not have a clear idea about just how bad Sully has been during his time covering the Bills.

 

There was a post on here a couple months ago that summed it up perfectly by describing a radio interview Sully did in which the host was asking him about the negative articles Sully kept writing about TO being a locker room cancer and what not. Despite the fact that there was no evidence that TO was doing anything other than trying to be a good teammate Sully just kept insisting he was a bad player and the Bills made a terrible move bringing him in no matter what kind of proof to the contrary the host kept offering.

 

This is typical Sully over the years. Will just argue his negative take to his grave regardless of facts. It is definitely a valid argument that the dissenting voice should be given a chance to speak but Sully is so far beyond reason that it shouldn't surprise anyone that he isn't given team access anymore. 

 

Like someone else pointed out in this thread Sully is just that crusading negative Bills fan who can never stop posting pessimistic views on the boards so who can blame the Pegulas for putting him on their ignore list.

 

...and uses the team's lack of success as justification.

14 minutes ago, May Day 10 said:

 

While I disagreed with that column.  From what I recall, it was basically slide football back and put a bunch of eggs into the basketball program and take that to a high (national) level.   I did think that it made some valid points, and I'm not going to bash a columnist for writing his/her opinion.  It did create some dialogue between me and some friends and people online.  I certainly don't want these guys locked out and blacklisted by not cow-towing to ownership due to financial and access leverage.  Freezing them out because they say negative things (that frankly, are justified) is a weak move and concerning.  Think Sal apologizing to McDermott for having the 'nerve' to ask if a punter was receiving some payment or something.  

I recall many positive columns by Sullivan and Gleason during the Sabres' runs of 2005-2007.  

 

 

When Pegula bought the Sabres, at the PC or just after, he went on some laughable and incredibly naive tangent that the local media should only write positive things about the organization and the players.    It kind of perked everyone's ears, but everyone was so geeked out about hearing "multiple stanley cups" that it kind of went by the wayside.  TBN mocked him for it (rightly so), and since then there has been a tense feud between Pegula(s) and TBN.  Sullivan isnt going to sit there and listen to Pegula (with a booger hanging out of his nose) dictate what he can and cant write about his sports teams.  Sorry, Sullivan is in the right, whether you agree or disagree with his opinions.  Does Bob Kraft try to shut down that Shaughnessy guy?  

 

 

Sounds like a certain someone in Washington DC.

[Steptide]

1 hour ago, PromoTheRobot said:

 

I'm betting it was Bob Matthews. Not exactly Peter King. I'm also betting his source was one of the drunks who call his radio show.

 

Why can't you just say who it was? It's not a state secret.

I did say. It was Dittulio. And supposedly his source was in the bills organization, not a caller 

[Homey D. Clown]

16 hours ago, Phil The Thrill said:

I came across and interesting interview on Twitter with Bucky Gleason.  In the interview he sounds good about a number of topics.  Including the Buffalo News - he said that the new management from outside of Buffalo too over and didn’t understand Buffalo sports.  He said they bought into the Twitter mob that said they were too negative.  So when they took away his column, he knew it was time to leave.

 

He also said that the Pegulas and the Bills significantly influence the local media either directly ($$$$) or indirectly (advertising $$$) - alluding to WGR and other outlets in Buffalo.  

 

Later he said that they both tried to get press credentials from the Bills to cover the team.  The Bills denied their website The Maven - which is kind of like a free version of The Athletic - and are the only team in the NFL team to deny press rights to The Maven.  He later tried getting credentialed through 1270 AM, where he has a radio show.  1270 AM was already approved but since Bucky and Sully weren’t on the original press list for 1270, they were again denied.  Again, Bucky says this is very rare in the NFL.

 

His take is that the Pegulas and The Bills are essentially blackballing Bucky and Sully because they don’t like how critical the duo has been.  In his mind, this is an atrocious and petty thing to do to a journalist.  

 

Its a facinating interview.  Check it out:

http://moranalytics.com/ep-66-bucky-gleason-sports-writer-radio-host/

 

Sullivan was and still is a "jerry Springer" hack with no real ability to provide anything more than pot-stirring garbage.  The only thing that was atrocious was how long it took for him to be fired.

[Jerry Jabber]

 

[corta765]

14 hours ago, stony said:

I can't disagree more.  It's a private enterprise which depends upon significant public support both in the form of patronage and tax money.  All press coverage should be expected and accepted.    

 

It still is a private business and I really don't care what support it does or doesn't get from who. This isn't native to Buffalo either if you check across a lot of professional teams they have denied access to reporters. It's part of the business at this point.

[DC Tom]

10 hours ago, Ol Dirty B said:

 

He doesn't know what he's talking about. Him telling anyone to crack open a history book is incredible.

 

He lacks perspective, or even really an understanding of what he's talking about.

 

Obviously.  I mean, the dumbass recommended history over a Constitutional law text...

[Shaw66]

17 hours ago, oldmanfan said:

Assuming it's true, seems a little petty.  But if I had been called a liar and stupid in print by someone I might also decide I don't want them around my team.

Right, on both counts. 

 

What Bucky and Dully never understood is how far out of bounds their behavior was, both in terms of quality journalism and human decency.  They're now reaping what they sowed.  

 

Still, it's petty.  The Pegulas essentially ran them out of the News, which the News didn't have the stones to do on their own.  That should be enough.  

[Bob in STL]

And for all the fans that think that the mostly lousy product produced by the Bills and Sabres for the past 20 years justifies the lousy coverage provided by Bucky and Sully I submit the names Phil Ranallo, Larry Felser, and Jim Kelley.   All true professionals and highly respected among their peers. 

 

Each if these men went through bad sports periods too, yet I looked forward to their columns every day.    No comparison. 

[Lurker]

1 hour ago, Shaw66 said:

The Pegulas essentially ran them out of the News, which the News didn't have the stones to do on their own.  That should be enough.  

 

Bupkis.    

 

A new sports editor with fresh eyes and large market experience was hired by the BN.   He came in, observed what 'talent' he had and decided to "purge the roster" (through buyouts) and rebuild his team.    No different than what the Bills do every time a new HC is hired.

 

Sully and Bucky were 'retired in place' hacks long before they got the big check from uncle Warren.    Addition by subtraction may have been tough on their egos, but guys like that are always the last to see the writing on the wall...

[hondo in seattle]

[K-9]

1 hour ago, Bob in STL said:

And for all the fans that think that the mostly lousy product produced by the Bills and Sabres for the past 20 years justifies the lousy coverage provided by Bucky and Sully I submit the names Phil Ranallo, Larry Felser, and Jim Kelley.   All true professionals and highly respected among their peers. 

 

Each if these men went through bad sports periods too, yet I looked forward to their columns every day.    No comparison. 

The aforementioned journalists above were often more critical, more scathing in their reports on the Bills and Sabres than Sully or Bucky ever were. But they had class and knew that certain venues, like bars and restaurants, were not for pressing matters, being rude, and acting unprofessionally. As critical as they were, they had the respect of people in the organizations, from ownership on down. And they knew how to turn it off and have a pour of scotch with their subjects once in a while, which is why they could maintain relationships and be privy to more information. 

 

Bucky and Sully were the antithesis of that behavior. Being rude and insulting got them nowhere.

[ndirish1978]

I'd like to offer an objective opinion on this, but I dislike Sully and Bucky to such an extent that I find it hard to 1-believe what they are saying is credible 2- have any sympathy for their situations.  

[bbb]

19 hours ago, Idandria said:

And Schopp and bulldog get a pass? They are awful to the Bills. Could the Pegulas please ban them as well. 

 

S & B don't have a vendetta against the Pegulas.  Bucky and Sully have since the first day that the Pegulas had their Sabres press conference.........................They want to be petty aholes - I don't blame the Pegulas for blackballing them.