Delete This Account Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 My own fact-free point of view, Time To Choose: the Sabres did the same thing to The News that Donahoe pulled on WGR. They didn't like the beating they were taking, so they decided to freeze out their supposed persecutors. (I have to admit, I'm not an expert on the situation. Did they also ignore calls from the beat writers, or just the columnists?) But while Sully and Gleason are free to take shots at Golisano and Quinn in their News columns, Wawrow's job is to write an unbiased report for a national audience, and providing both sides of the issue to his readers is absolutely necessary. To be honest, the last graf in the piece quoted above dances fairly close to the dividing line between reporting and opinion. (I agree completely with the sentiment expressed there, mind you -- I'm just a little surprised that it got in.) it was close, but i'll argue that it was also fair because it would have been wrong to allow Tom Golisano's words to hang there without perspective or counterpoint. and the facts outlined were the counterpoint -- the team waited until the final week to make serious offers to either player, which begs the question how much did they want them as the owner stated? and i think that is what separates any publication/wire service etc. from a p.r. service. though i'll happily talk to people and quote them fairly and objectively, it's also my responsibility to ensure that it jibes with what has taken place and what i or the public commonly know to be fact. this also goes to the point of what we're taught -- and i'm speaking generally not specifically to the Sabres or Golisano or anyone else here -- to write with informed confidence. if someone tells a lie, and it's proven to be a lie, then we should write that "so-and-so lied" without having to pussyfoot around it by adding, "critics say," or "critics accuse." it's no different than me writing as i did in my piece today about Edwards, that he had a terrible four-game stretch last season after the win over San Diego. oh, and one more thing, since i believe this is a Bills-related board: Mr. Donahoe also declined to talk to me during his final season with the bills. jw Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dwight Drane Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 Thanks John Like I said, nothing against you or the AP. It is much easier to defend yourself against one person though instead of having an open communication policy. It is just a unique opportunity to be able to ask you questions. I appreciate the response. 3 questions I would love to ask the front office would be: 1) As the trading deadline approached during the '06-'07 season, Darcy Regier did something quite out of character. He openly stated that Tim Connolly and Max Afinogenov would both be back in the lineup by the end of the regular season. Now, this struck me as very odd for Regier. Darcy isn't one to definitively tell you simple things, let alone that a player who had missed the entire season to date with a head injury and was not near ready to return...would in fact be on the ice during the regular season. Max had just broken his wrist, and the timeframe of his recovery possibly extended into week 2 of the playoffs. How was Dr. Regier so sure of these prognosi? I feel that Regier was going on record so that the Sabres would not be able to make a substantial trade at the deadline. If he had kept quiet, which is the prudent thing to do in this situation, the Sabres could have added around $5 million in salary over the cap for their playoff run. If Connolly and Afinogenov did not return in the regular season, their salaries would not count against the cap. They would then be free to return in the playoffs as there is no playoff salary cap. With the likes of Gary Roberts, Ryan Smyth and Bill Guerin to be had for reasonable deals, why would a team that was one of the favorites to win the Cup pass up a chance to solidify their troops? My guess would be that they knew full well they wouldn't be keeping their veteran players the next year and would need live bodies like Paille, Stafford, etc. to fill the roster. Fill the roster cheaply at that. Max did return for 3 games, but looked to have come back too fast as he was scratched in the playoffs and stuck to the bench at times. Connolly played a whopping 2 games that season. 2) Larry Quinn was here when Pat LaFontaine was traded away. At the time, Quinn stated that the team was not comfortable with a player that had multiple head injuries. One of the most talented and classiest players in NHL history was unceremoniously dumped for a draft pick. Fast forward to 2006. Tim Connolly is coming off of multiple head injuries where he had missed an entire season. Quinn signs Connolly to a head scratching contract that would end up paying him $90,000 per game played. Fast forward to 2009. After missing yet almost another full season with a head injury to go with countless others, Connolly gets a 50% raise. Why would Quinn go against his own policy 180 degrees in Connolly's case? I don't know. I do know however that Quinn boasted in the media earlier in the decade the fact that he was classmates and friends at Canisius High School with Connolly's father. 3) During the Drury negotiations when the two sides had seemed to agree on a 4 year $22 million deal early in the season that faitful night in Boston, the Sabres ended up waiting 2 weeks to present a formal contract. Over those 2 weeks, the Sabres pulled away from the pack and Drury went on a scoring binge. To go along with the delay, Darcy Regier has gone on record during the Vanek negotiations that the agents of the players know well ahead of time of free agency what their demands will be and where they will most likely be slotted in terms of salary. By waiting 2 weeks and expecting Drury to accept the same deal, the Sabres were using every possible leverage. Drury risked injury by going out on the ice without an extension. Drury risked poor play from both himself and the team. Most importantly Drury made it clear to the Sabres what price he was willing to accept, and the Sabres sat on that information for 2 weeks. In that time the front office could have been doing a multitude of things such as shopping Drury to other teams with the fact that he could be resigned at that pricetag. They could have been contacting other player agents in order to get an idea of where other potential free agents expected to be compensated......and as explained to us by Darcy, this would be known well ahead of time by "The Market" that we hear so much about. And as it worked out, if the team continued to excel and Drury did well, then they can present him with the contract. Is there any wonder Drury was turned off to the point that he wouldn't come back at any price by the end of the ordeal? That was pure dirty pool on the Sabres' part, and the PR hatchet job they did on Drury in the offseason was a disgrace in my opinion. These are just questions that I would have liked to ask. I had to draw my own conclusions.....longwinded as you may see! Thanks again for your replies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dwight Drane Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 My own fact-free point of view, Time To Choose: the Sabres did the same thing to The News that Donahoe pulled on WGR. They didn't like the beating they were taking, so they decided to freeze out their supposed persecutors. (I have to admit, I'm not an expert on the situation. Did they also ignore calls from the beat writers, or just the columnists?) But while Sully and Gleason are free to take shots at Golisano and Quinn in their News columns, Wawrow's job is to write an unbiased report for a national audience, and providing both sides of the issue to his readers is absolutely necessary. To be honest, the last graf in the piece quoted above dances fairly close to the dividing line between reporting and opinion. (I agree completely with the sentiment expressed there, mind you -- I'm just a little surprised that it got in.) Thanks Lori It was nothing against John. At the time I was steamed at how the fans were being treated like 5 year olds, much like Donahoe did as well. It is unique to have the source here himself to reflect on that period of time. My theory is that the fans know what the deal is now. If they chose to support the franchise, so be it. It pains me as a fan to not take the best shot possible and then be told otherwise by management. Also an interesting date is on the horizon. Larry Quinn's ownership in the team becomes vested at 1 year and he would only be taxed at 15% on any sale of the team. If Tommy G had paid him a $10 million bonus instead, he gets taxed at 40%. Can you say....Golden Parachute????? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 oh, and one more thing, since i believe this is a Bills-related board: Mr. Donahoe also declined to talk to me during his final season with the bills. jw It is, although we do have a companion Sabres site, if you're inclined to pay them a visit. And by that point, was Donahoe venturing out of the bunker to talk to anyone besides Chris Brown? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delete This Account Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 It is, although we do have a companion Sabres site, if you're inclined to pay them a visit. And by that point, was Donahoe venturing out of the bunker to talk to anyone besides Chris Brown? he also had a show on the team's radio affiliate, one of which proved memorable, as you might recall. jw Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 he also had a show on the team's radio affiliate, one of which proved memorable, as you might recall. jw Hahaha. That Sunday morning, I stood over on Abbott Rd. visiting with the WGR guys as they passed out their "Jerk Nation" signs. Then, I wandered up to the gates and watched security make people throw them away. Good times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delete This Account Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 Thanks John Like I said, nothing against you or the AP. It is much easier to defend yourself against one person though instead of having an open communication policy. i don't mind, especially if i'm the one they're talking to ... 1) As the trading deadline approached during the '06-'07 season, Darcy Regier did something quite out of character. He openly stated that Tim Connolly and Max Afinogenov would both be back in the lineup by the end of the regular season. ... If he had kept quiet, which is the prudent thing to do in this situation, the Sabres could have added around $5 million in salary over the cap for their playoff run. If Connolly and Afinogenov did not return in the regular season, their salaries would not count against the cap. They would then be free to return in the playoffs as there is no playoff salary cap. if i recall correctly, Darcy made several references to the NHL keeping close tabs on both Connolly and Afinogenov's health, and were taking great strides to ensure that the Sabres did not fudge to get around the cap. 2) Why would Quinn go against his own policy 180 degrees in Connolly's case? I don't know. I do know however that Quinn boasted in the media earlier in the decade the fact that he was classmates and friends at Canisius High School with Connolly's father. for what it's worth, Darcy acknowledged they realize there was a calculated risk involved. 3) During the Drury negotiations when the two sides had seemed to agree on a 4 year $22 million deal early in the season that faitful night in Boston, the Sabres ended up waiting 2 weeks to present a formal contract. ... Is there any wonder Drury was turned off to the point that he wouldn't come back at any price by the end of the ordeal? i think a lot of people were surprised by what happened. drury, however, rejected several requests to talk about this issue with me. jw Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dwight Drane Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 I do understand that Drury is not an angel. I think Briere was much more personable and honest when talking to the media. The trade deadline really got to me though. Max broke his wrist on February 15 and the prognosis was he would be out a minnimum of 6 weeks, pushing close to 8 weeks. Regier came out the next week declaring Max would be back for the playoffs. No ifs or maybe. 8 full weeks would have had Max missing 1 or 2 games. Connolly had been gone for almost a full year at that point. You couldn't count on him to get out of bed the next day let alone declare him fit for the playoffs. It was a huge Red Flag to me for Darcy to speak in these terms. I understand the auditing process with the NHL, but there were legitimate reasons to believe both players wouldn't make it back in time. Either Regier is the worst poker player in the world, or there were alterior motives to him saying that. It wasn't until the captains walked that it looked obvious he was protecting himself from critics such as myself. By saying Max and Connolly would be back during the regular season, there was now no way he could make a splash at the deadline. He neutered himself. I have to assume giving up a Paille and a pick for Gary Roberts, or Stafford and Sekera for Guerin was too rich for his blood because he knew he needed those players going forward. They knew that '07 was as good of a chance they would get to win the Cup, and they went in on cruise control instead of punching the accelerator. To me, this was the biggest slap in the face of all. If you are going to break up with the supermodel the next morning, don't just drop her off at the door with a peck on the cheek. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oak tree 12 Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 last tweet from @terrellowens81: "sittin here trippin about residents @ 1 DEER RUN wn't rent 2 me b/c they said they dn't want any drama n their neighborhood!! LOL!!! Wow!!" so much for the Buffalo/T.O. love fest, huh? man talk about people reading way to much into total BS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts