The Washington state legislature has given a flat out “NO” to a proposal to raise $300 million in various taxes to fund a new arena in suburban Renton for the Seattle Supersonics.

The righteous and moral owner Clay Bennett is now prepping himself to deliver a big “fuck you” to his fan base in Seattle and might move the team, reportedly to Oklahoma City, in time for the 2008-09 season.

More from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

And the home ice swings back to Buffalo with a hard fought win.

All scoring took place in the second period with Danny Briere connecting on the five on three power play. The Islanders took advantage of some sloppy defensive play late to score a goal in the dying seconds of the period.

Adam Mair opened the scoring with a sweet feed from Chris Drury on a rush, Thomas Vanek made the score 2-0 by jamming the puck into the corner of the net. The play had to be reviewed(for an awful long time) before the officials signaled for the goal.

But the two goal lead disappeared quickly as Trent Hunter got one past Miller’s glove, players around the net seemed to slow up thinking that he had possession, but not Hunter. Briere’s goal came afterward as Max sent two different Islanders to the box on the same rush.

Nice to see that the Sabres kept up the pressure in the third despite not finding the back of the net, hopefully a direct result of the lesson learned from the end of the second.

Things got ugly in the stands as bottles and other junk came flying onto the ice after a penalty was called on Robitaille in the final two minutes. This coming just after an Islander went crashing to the ice(dude was trying to get a call after closer look).

Buffalo won the special teams battle shutting out the Isles while picking up a ppg(Briere) though 1 for 6 isn’t all that impressive and quite frankly one more late in the second or third would have slammed the door shut.

Game four is on Wednesday, hopefully Buffalo takes full control….

Last night the Food Network honored Citizens Bank Park, home of the Philadelphia Phillies, for having the “Best Ballpark Eats”.

From the Phillies news release…

“Citizens Bank Park , home of the Phillies, was honored last night for having the “Best Ballpark Eats” during the premiere of the Food Network’s first-ever awards show, the Food Network Awards. The 90-minute show celebrated achievements in the world of food and entertaining in an offbeat awards ceremony unlike any other on television.

Citizens Bank Park beat out the other ballpark finalists: Camden Yards in Baltimore , AT&T Park in San Francisco and Safeco Field in Seattle .”

Philadelphia’s ballpark won top score in Major League Baseball in the USRT venue rankings, and yeah, under the food category we scored them a 9.5 out of a possible 10 points. Great ballpark… and make sure you go there hungry!

A couple weeks ago we talked about seating assignments in the HSBC Arena pressbox, and who we get to spend time with as neighbors. Well, we’ve got a blue chip journalist sitting to our left, and his name is George Kuhn of Sports and Leisure Magazine.

This season started sort of chaotically for Sports and Leisure when it came to Sabres coverage, trying to find the right type of person to fill the chair and deliver the sort of monthly feature that such a publication demands. By December George had arrived to take over the reigns, and since his assuming responsibilty he has delivered some top notch pieces on the Sabres, a couple of them even becoming cover stories for the paper.

And why not? George is just a bit older than me, so we grew up with childhood memories of the Sabres in the early days, and he can spout off names of past Sabres greats, stats, personal histories, and other useless trivia. Sometimes when we are both at the games well before faceoff time and they’re showing some vintage Sabres clip from playoff days of yore on the Jumbotron, George looks at the reel, and can immediately cite the year, the game, the situation, who scored and who won.

He boasts of a huge collection of sports books, programs, media guides, videos and other collectibles from across the hockey spectrum. He has shared friendships and associations with past Sabres greats… Rick Martin and Randy Burridge come to mind. And like all of us who participate in the Sabres media corps, his assignment covering the team is one that he values highly.

Coming to the games and spending time with George Kuhn makes this job so much more enjoyable. Though we’ve known him for only a short time, he is one of the guys up there who holds an esteemed spot on our media “A” list!

Maybe one problem is too many articles in the press like this one in today’s Buffalo News. Heck, even two of us predicted a Sabres sweep in this past week’s Puck Stop column. Perhaps we are just too full of ourselves and a game like this was a cold harsh dose of much needed reality.

But the Sabres blew one big time tonight, and have no one to blame but themselves. “We didn’t play at all for the first 18 minutes” said Lindy Ruff after the game, looking clearly disappointed at his team’s performance tonight.

The Sabres had no legs early on and spotted the Isles a 2-0 lead. Amazingly though, they got stronger as the game went on, and even managed to tie the game early in the third. Rick DiPietro looked very sharp in net however.

The winning goal happened on a power play, after Max Afinogenov got called for hooking Miro Satan on what looked like a very suspect call. After the game Max took full responsibility. “I made a bad choice, and it cost our team. Yes I did commit the penalty” said Max. Lindy would also hear nothing of any sour grapes about the call. “The rule is you don’t put your stick in that spot in the mid section. I don’t care if Miro grabbed it or not…. Hopefully in the course of a long series these types of calls will even themselves out.”

Couple side takes -

A crowd estimated at 1500 watched the game outside on a huge video board assembled as part of the “Party in the Square” event.

After the game we headed out for a couple pops with Matthew and Brian from Metro. Matthew pointed out that, contrary to earlier reports, he did not see Briere participating in the optional skate this morning, and the few guys who did skate seemed to be almost too relaxed and jovial, not the intensity we would hope to see at this point.

Game 3 and 4 happen on the Island Monday and Wednesday… We return for game 5 on Friday, and hopefully our guys will get it all together by then. They’d better.

The long awaited unveiling of the new ballpark for the Minnesota Twins happened yesterday, as the Twins front office, in conjunction with HOK Sport, showed how their new venue will look.

The retractable roof once contemplated is gone, meaning they will have to deal with the elements in Minneapolis. They are planning on a heating system for the field which would bring field temperatures up to 65 degrees and hope to avert postponements.

At first glance, the park is a combination of the brand new (Pittsburgh’s PNC Park), the semi-new (Cleveland’s Jacobs Field) and a golden oldie (Chicago’s Wrigley Field). Now mix in another cherished relic (Milwaukee’s County Stadium), a concept first seen in Baltimore a decade ago and an idea hatched from the “cookie cutter” parks of 1970 and you get the picture.

Construction is set to start this summer, with an Opening Day 2010 debut planned.

My cool downtown sports day comes to an end, 14 1/2 hours after I left my house this morning…

Tonight at HSBC Arena the Buffalo Sabres dispatched the New York Islanders 4-1 to take game one of the best of seven series.

Buffalo threw wave after wave of attacks early on, while limiting New York’s chances and allowing only one shot on goal in the first period. Brian Campbell and Chris Drury each netted a pair for Buffalo. New York’s only goal came on a breakdown by Derek Roy, who really should have left the ice for a shift change.

Who’s hot? Dainius frikkin’ Zubrus played like a house on fire tonight, making smart plays, setting up scoring chances and generally looking like the quality forward that Buffalo was hoping to get. “He’s just so happy to be back in the playoffs after a long absence” said Coach Lindy Ruff.

Who’s not? New York’s Miroslav Satan. You think he’d be chomping at the bit to have his top game going… Buffalo, Lindy, Darcy… instead he was a pile of puss out there.

Dubie! Dubie! Gotta tip the hat to Isles goalie Wade Dubielewicz, who faced 35 shots and did an adequate job, but this is not a Stanley Cup goaltender, not by a longshot.

The bombshell was dropped at the postgame press conferences - Goalie Rick DiPietro has been medically cleared to play and Coach Ted Nolan said he would be inserted in practice on Friday, and a decision will be made then on whether he is fit to start in game 2.

Lastly, the fans had their “A” game on big time - raising the roof with noise, waving yellow pom poms, and the traditional old “Ooh Ahh Sabres on the Warpath” chant got going late. The Sabres pregame montage, done to the song “Better Days” by the Goo Goo Dolls, had me choked up and I’m sure I was not the only one. And by the way - I did not spot a single Islanders fan in the stands. Oh how nice to own our building!

Game 2 goes Saturday at 7:30 PM… Pete will be covering, I’ll be in the stands and assisting him with post game… and hopefully our after the game outing over beer and wings will be a festive one!

It’s 4:30PM… my cool downtown sports day continues…

Bisons 2, Lynx 1 at Dunn Tire Park
After turning a strange 1-5-4 double play in the 6th following by Choo’s diving catch in right to end the inning, Manager Torey Lovullo had to be pleased. “After some of the defensive outings we’ve had here, it was nice to see that kind of performance. The lead out was the key out, and those plays essentially saved the ball game for us.” Offensively, solo home runs by Keith Ginter and Ryan Mulhern were the difference in this one.

The team now hits the road for sets in Columbus and Toledo before returning home (to hopefully better weather) on Saturday, April 21.

In between games…
So with the Sabres game not starting until 8PM, this means some time to kill, so I’m going to catch up on some writing and some web surfing until they shut down the pressbox here at the ballpark… then head down to the arena. I think I’m in the mood to check out the team store and buy some souvenirs, and maybe see if the pregame concert is still a go. The rain has started though.

Lotsa cookies, ice cream bars and popcorn…but no wi-fi.
Let me start by saying this… the Sabres media department are the best bunch of guys you would want to meet. Mike Gilbert, Chris Bandura, Kevin Snow and webmaster Brian Wheeler always cooperative, always professional, and a joy to interact and work with.

Unless… you have the temerity to ask them to jump on their wi-fi internet service. That’s when the Guardians of the Bandwidth and Lords of the Surf come harshly into play. Bottom line… I’d gladly take a reliable internet connection at the arena over the pressbox junk food buffet any day.

The Islanders were working it at their morning practice at HSBC Arena

Ted Nolan says the story is no longer about him, it’s about his guys who fought hard to get to this point.

Calm… businesslike… The Sabres went through a spirited morning skate at HSBC Arena, and the atmosphere on the ice and in the locker room seems to be relaxed and focused leading into the game tonight.

Thomas Vanek seems to be excited to be back at this point, and is not taking the Islanders team lightly. “All 16 teams that are in the playoffs are there because they deserve to be there.” Vanek also called on the fans to help the team out. “Hopefully the crowd will be there doing there thing and we can get an early jump on ‘em” said Vanek.

“Excited” is the word Jason Pominville used to describe the mood of the team. Pominville knows what it’s like to be in this situation, and admits that even with a year of experience, there are still butterflies.
“Sure it does, but we’ve been through this before, and just hitting the ice and the cheering of the fans will be a good feeling, and for now we’re just excited to be getting it going.”

Lindy Ruff was anxious to get the jitters out of the way at the morning skate, but sensed none of that among his team. “I didn’t see none of that. I think the guys are focused and they’re ready to play.”

Some random observations…

-A way of telling what is going on with the team roster is by looking at the stalls in the Sabres locker room. There are only a limited number so if you’re on the DL or otherwise indisposed, your stall is forfeited and your name plate removed. So who has a stall and equipment all set up? None other than Paul Gaustad. Might we yet see Gaustad back this season?

-While his guys were stretching at center ice, I watched Islanders coach Ted Nolan just staring at the rafters, his gaze transfixed for about 15 seconds. And what was he looking at? Well, his stare was pointed straight at the 1996-97 division champion banner. Would have loved to know what was going through his head at that very moment.

-In the Islanders locker room… one of those felt tipped marker boards and listed there were the Sabres projected lineups and line pairings. Listed there… Tim Connolly - injured. Dan Paille and Clarke MacArthur, 4th line. WTF???!!! This got more than a few snickers from the Buffalo media.

“An Extraordinary Year”

This week’s Puck Stop. And Andrew, Peter, and Artvoice Editor Geoff Kelly make our predictions for all the first round matchups in the Eastern Conference.

Check it out!

The 48th season of Buffalo Bills football features the return of Monday Night Football to Orchard Park for the first time since ‘94 with the Dallas Cowboys’ visit on Columbus Day weekend.

Personally speaking, I think there could be a record for arrests and ejections at the Ralph that night…..but that’s just me….anyhow, schedule:

All games are 1pm starts unless otherwise noted, and of course subject to last minute and seemingly indecisive changing…..

9.9 DENVER
9.16 @Pittsburgh
9.23 @New England
9.30 NY JETS
10.8 DALLAS( 8pm monday night)
10.15 bye week
10.21 BALTIMORE
10.28 @NY Jets(4pm start)
11.4 CINCINNATI
11.11 @Miami
11.18 NEW ENGLAND
11.25 @ Jacksonville
12.2 @Washington
12.9 MIAMI
12.16 @Cleveland
12.23 NY GIANTS
12.30 @Philadelphia

Some thoughts:

Another visit by Miami in the cold weather….

If Cleveland still sucks this year, how big of a presence will Buffalofan have in Cleveland?

Wondering just how negative things will get when McGahee comes back on October 21st..

Anyone notice that the Bills don’t leave the Eastern Time Zone at all this year?

Season begins on 9/6 with the Saints visiting the Colts. Will the Saints drag out Archie Manning to make this another silly, overhyped Manning matchup?

Apparently the Cleveland Indians’ debut at Miller Park in Milwaukee was a smash hit after all.

The team was forced to move their games to Milwaukee because of the unplayable conditions at Jacobs Field. So with a bunch of games already cancelled, they opted to shift venues and the enclosed ballpark in Milwaukee was the best fit.

So some highlights from the wild affair last night:

- Over 19,000 fans bought tickets, available for $10 each, and filled the first and second decks.

- Tribe mascot “Slider” made the the trip and took over Bernie Brewers house high above left field.

- The Indians e-mailed the video graphics to Milwaukee’s scoreboard operator to upload them onto Miller Park’s Jumbotron. The Indians’ theme song – “Are you ready to rock? Are you ready to scream? It’s Tribe time!” played at the intro.

- That drum guy who sits out in left field at the Jake was flown in by the team to…ummm… bang his drum.

- Pitcher Joe Borowski entered the game in the 9th to close, accompanied to the strains of the Troggs “Wild Thing”.

- Milwaukeeans got their mojo in the act as well, doing their slow motion version of The Wave as done at University of Wisconsin football games. And yes, the Sausage Race ran in the 6th as scheduled!

And oh yes, Cleveland beat Anaheim 7-6. Wow does this sound like a lot of fun! Wish we had been there to be a part of it all.

More from the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

“We’re gonna walk all over the Islanders!”
Sure about that?

“We’re the President’s Trophy winners! They just snuck in!!”
Ummm, yea….and??

“We’re more talented! There’s no way they can match up with us! We have too much depth, we’re better in goal! This will be a cakewalk!!”
Sorry pal, history says something totally different. Frankly…

The above quotes seem to be the prevailing sentiment here in town about the upcoming series with the Islanders. The superior talented Sabres will have their way with the injury plagued Islanders filled with enigmatic players such as Miro Satan and Alexei Yashin. Sure they’ll play under coach Ted Nolan, but his will will be of little difference in the Sabres eventual walkover of the Long Islanders. I’m here to tell ya that after a little research, that scenario while somewhat possible is not a certainty…not even close.

On a lazy Tuesday night before the playoffs, Taro hit the books to get a looksee at the results of Stanley Cup series pitting #1 vs. #8 seeds. If history holds true to form, yes the Sabres could walk away with a quick series win. That possibility is about as likely as the Islanders walking out of this one on top.

Think I’m joking? Take a look at this:

Since the advent of the current format in 1994 (24 series total):

The number 1 seed has won in 4 or 5 games a total of 8 times. This is one better than the amount of times the 8 seed has won outright (7 times).

Every time a 1/8 series has reached seven games, the 8 seed has won. Not a good thought if this one goes the distance (and you are contemplating that now, aren’t you).

The other 9 series’ went six games obviously…and while I won’t run them all down, there were a few doozies in that group…all involving Detroit. No reason why…

‘04: Nashville roughs up the Wings
‘02: Wings rally from down 2-0 to stun Canucks. Who remembers the goal from the blue line in game 3???
‘96: The White Noise howls one last time in Winnipeg.

Just saying folks, I thinks that a quick and easy series is the last thing that Sabres fans should have on their minds.

Taro Sez….”Simon says: Sabres win in a Dubieous six game set.”

This series will make the most arduous of Nolan fans despise him….

Time Warner acquires rights to broadcast Versus in high definition, according to this news release issued yesterday. Whether Time Warner’s WNY systems will add the channel is yet to be determined.

Televised hockey is such a natural for this technology… why the Sabres haven’t gone to high definition telecasts on MSG and why games in high definition are an occasional curiosity instead of the broadcast standard is a mystery to me.

Amy Moritz from the Buffalo News and Dave Ricci from Metro Community News are in the saddle today… Outside it’s sunny…40 degrees… a little bit better than yesterday.

And memo to Torey Lovullo… Inside its 68 degrees and toasty.

Bisons 5, Lynx 3 (5:00PM report)
No Pete and I are not going to do a game report each game we’ll leave the hard core reporting to Buffalobaseballblog, but if we’re in the building we will chime in with some takes.

Anyways, the Bisons make it two in a row this afternoon DESPITE three errors on second baseman Hector Luna. He coulda been tagged with a fourth when he turned a double play and the relay skipped into the dirt at first base, but scorer Kevin Lester correctly ruled it a fielder’s choice. After the game Torey Lovullo defended his player, saying he really didn’t have to talk to Luna on the bench; he is a seasoned pro and if it becomes a pattern then it’s time to work on it. Luna did redeem himself with a RBI single in the 6th and later scored.

For the second day in a row, Keith Ginter serves up the heroics - a two run double in the 7th to give Buffalo the lead for good, this after falling behind 3-0 and being no-hit through the first 5.

About 450 in attendance, up from 300 on Opening Day. Can we make it 600 tomorrow?! Just kidding… hey warm spring nights and full houses of happy fans are just a homestand or two away, we promise!