6:48PM - Check out the view above from our perch at Staples Center. When you have a lower level, a club level, THREE levels of suites then the upper level, that translates into total nosebleeds for the pressbox.

The Sabres will be looking to rebound from an ugly defeat at Anaheim last night. As for the Kings, they are also coming off an identical 4-1 defeat at Phoenix.

The last time these two teams played was in Buffalo on January 14, 2006, and the Sabres demolished Los Angeles 10-1 on that night. The Sabres last played at the Staples Center on October 23, 2003 and Buffalo also won that game, by a 5-1 score.Jocelyn Thibault will be in the nets for the Sabres tonight. -ak

7:19 As usual, heavy Sabrefan presence around the visitors entrance….-pjf

7:22 Looking over at the championship banners above the seating bowl I just can’t help but think “night and day”. Nine Laker Championship banners in sets of three hung alongside….an LA Sparks WNBA title and LA Avengers AFL title banner. Could there possibly be two more irrelevant pieces of cloth hanging next to the Laker banners??? As an aside, the Kings do have one division and one conference championship banner up there with retired numbers for Marcel Dionne, Dave Taylor, Rogie Vachon, Luc Robataille and that #99 guy…can’t make out his name. - pjf

7:27 Peters and Tallinder are scratched….. - pjf

7:35 Johnathan Quick making his first NHL start this season in net for the Kings. - pjf

7:42 Thibault with a save on a breakaway….Sabres first PP opportunity gets some chances but no reward. - pjf

7:45 @#$!!!….bright side, the goal horn isn’t as annoying as last nights. First noticeable “Let’s Go Sabres chant heard soon afterward. -pjf

7:51 @#$!!!….softie….was just thinking how this is the game the Sabres have to get on this road trip. Yikes - pjf

7:57 TV timeout, useless note. I’m really not liking the chants these fans have out here. “Let’s Go Ki-ings” and “Let’s Go Du-ucks” just don’t roll off the tongue that well. I suggest they go the Canadian route of “Go (team) Go”. Spacek in the box, here at Staples they pronounce correctly.- pjf

8:01 Derek was “Roybed” on the break….yea, I’m using the French pronounciation for this comment only. - pjf

8:12 @#$!!!….It’s getting REALLY close to bedtime, on the east coast….for Sabrefan here in the building…whereever.- pjf

8:15PM - Jaroslav Modry makes it 4-0 Kings and the song “I Love LA” rains down on the crowd. Will we see Miller between the pipes? Anyone staying up in the east? Ugh! -ak

8:36 PM - Miller in net….doesn’t mean crap. It’s bedtime folks, not like I’ll stop blogging though. pjf

8:40 Pete and I took a ride down to the 100 concourse and said hi to our road trip bud Andy DiMento and his older brother Nick… both in the building tonight cheering on their beloved Kings, and both with big smiles on their faces. - ak

8:42 1…2…3…4….5…6….oh wait, nevermind….-pjf

8:48 another note about the intermission, we walked around the lower concourse and saw plenty of diversity in the Sabres jerseys, must’ve been the rich folk this time around compared to last night in Anaheim. - pjf

8:53 TOUCHDOWN!!!!!:(…great, three goal by folks who haven’t scored a goal all year and we’re facing a goalie who hasn’t played in the NHL all season. The Elmira Jackals could punk the Sabres tonight. BTW…..Sabres have been outscored 11-0 since early 1st period in Anaheim. - pjf

8:57 Make that 11-1, forgive me if I’m not thrilled. Amazingly, Sabrefan still throwing out the “Let’s go Sabres” chants in the building…would’ve thought they’d bail by now. - pjf

9:08 7-1 end 2, outshot 26-11, outscored 11-2 in California. Anyone in favor of keeping the current scheduling format? Anyone? Do I hear a second??? - pjf

9:27 3rd period underway, gee we outscored them 2-0 in the last seven minutes or so….-pjf

9:30 Did I read this right? Todd Collins throws two TD for the ‘Skins as they beat the Bears tonight? I thought Collins was selling insurance somewhere in the Yukon…. - pjf

9:41 Ok, we have tonight’s mispronunciation of a Sabre player’s name. Meet Nathan Paetsch(pronounced Pash) guilty of a delay of game penalty. I don’t know about you, but I’m thinking that delaying the end of this game is the last thing he wants to do right now. - pjf

9:44 They play “I Love LA” after each goal and I’m tellin’ ya…I hate LA right about now. I wish to have the referees swallow their whistles from here on out. Let’s get outta here before someone suffers a needless injury. -pjf

9:53 2:23 remains. I heard some Kings fans start a “Buffalo sucks” chant. Anyone disagree??? - Tick…Tock - pjf

9:59 Game over….8-2 loss. If you’re still awake, you’re certainly a diehard and someone whose sanity I’d have to question….adios!!!!!!

Awesome burger chain that you only find in this part of the world.

Order the “double double” with the hand cut fries. Add a mikshake and you got a super duper meal.

Here’s a scenario that would normally be reporter heaven… you are covering the Sabres; no competition as the only other beat reporter covering the game is John Vogl from the News; the Anaheim media contingent is skimpy to begin with and all engaged with their players; the locker room isn’t the labyrinth of side rooms and coves where players duck out like in Buffalo, but just one big room with locker stalls and an adjacent shower. I walk in and nirvana!… 25 hockey players in various stage of undress, and Media Coordinator Chris Bandura beseeching me to please have at it and interview anyone I like. I have the room pretty much to myself.

The down side? We know the Sabres sucked tonight, the players know they sucked tonight, Lindy knows his team sucked tonight, and who the hell really wants to rehash all that!

But I dove right in, and started with our favorite Andrew Peters, who was very much a factor in the game, taking on Ducks bad boy George Parros not once but twice in spirited fights, finishing the evening 1-1. “That’s what I’m paid to do” said Peters. “Their guy goes after Paille, and later on cheap shots Mairzie, if that’s the way they want to play the game then fine just let me know.”I asked Peters what went down when the final buzzer sounded, and it looked for a moment like both benches might spill out onto the ice, and he was right in the thick of things. “Oh just the usual trash that goes on in a situation like that. The referees were right there it wasn’t going any farther.”

To a man, the players insisted that jet lag or fatigue was not a factor in the outcome and that the team was feeling fine. “We got out here on Monday so everyone has had time to adjust to that” said Jaroslav Spacek. Jochen Hecht was equally adamant. “That is never an excuse and we just played horrible hockey thats all and that has to change.”

Goalie Ryan Miller took the perfunctory questions and gave the pat answers looking weary of the whole thing, but when I asked him this question his eyes seemed to light up. “Ryan, so how was it like seeing your brother in competition on this stage, and when will you two guys rehash the evening that was?” “Having this chance to play each other is something that two brothers just dream of as kids and here we are in the National Hockey League together. Our parents flew out to watch us play and my aunts and uncles are here as well. It’s a shame because of the conference set up we don’t get to see each other as often as we’d like but hopefully next year when the schedule changes that too will change. But yeah, this was something very meaningful for all of us I just wish it had ended better for our team.” I could tell that this was a very special night for Ryan Miller and his family.

Lastly, on to the Lindy Ruff press conference. Lindy is usually full of quips, anecdotes and great quotes. But not tonight. “Played a terrible second period, cost us the game” said Ruff. Answers short, replies curt. You know you want to press for more, but you also got to know when to stop. I ask, “So what are you planning to tell the guys as they try and regroup tomorrow?”. Lindy’s reply “I tell them we’re playing the Kings tomorrow.” Like on cue, all the reporters tape players snapped to off. You knew it was time to end this.

Pete had the easier task, talking to Ducks forward Drew Miller after the game. “First game ever against your brother?” “Yeah” replied Miller. “Juniors, minors first time we ever crossed paths.” He described the shots he took on his brother (didn’t figure in the scoring), and when he was told “Well you got a Stanley Cup right?”, Miller laughed and replied “Yeah well I won’t hold that in his face.”

We’re still learning, even after all these years, how to do this reporter biz, but anyone who thinks that this is easy and the free popcorn and $8 buffet is so awesome really ought to try this and see how challenging it could be. Make no mistake it is work “covering” a game, and that’s why we’re learning that attending a game the old way like we did this past weekend, having your ticket ripped scanned, buying a program and a popcorn and just cheering from your seats has it own joy and charm.

Our agenda today is to skip the morning skate and bop around LA and sightsee; we’ll be at the Staples Center for the 7:30PT/10:30ET face off against the Los Angeles Kings and will be live blogging again.

6:25PM… The teams have yet to take to the ice for their pregame skate, but the pressbox is totally empty right now, because everyone is down in the media room attending a 6:30PM press conference. Ducks GM Brian Burke is set to announce that Scott Niedermayer is apparently not retiring after all, and is set to return to a Ducks uniform. Pete is downstairs attending and we will have more.Meantime, about 150 fans have gathered around the visitors tunnel entrance to the ice, chanting “Lets Go Buffalo!” Sabresfan is in the building! (How shocking) -ak

7:02 PM Brian Burke’s quips from earlier press conference played over center ice scoreboard. Scott Niedermayer has decided to pull a Roger Clemens and return to the team. Burke stated that he should be ready to play within the next 7-10 days. Chris Pronger will remain team captain. -pf

7:07 PM Just noticed that directly below me in the arena’s top row is LeafFan. Travel 2600 miles and I still can’t get away from these freaks…..game on! -pf

7:13 PM - Pominville to Hecht on a smokin’ two on oh breakaway and just like that it’s 1-0 Buffalo. The Let’s Go Buffalo chants are beginning. -ak7:18 PM First noticable “Let’s Go Buffalo” chant quickly drowned out by Ducks fans.-pf

7:25 PM Second media timeout, useless thought of the day. You know you’re in SoCal when the big local newsstory of the day is about the dangerously high waves hitting the beaches today. Back to action - pjf7:28 FIGHT! Peters v. Parros….lengthy, seems like Parros got the better of it - pjf

7:32 Goal! Turn that stupid horn off!!!!-pjf

7:39 End of 1. 1-1 SOG Dux 9, Sabs 8…..Not a power play opportunity to be had by anyone….

7:55 They’re playing the Niedermayer announcement again….no word as to whether Suzyn Waldman is in the building or not…. -pjf

8:01 Was that Todd Bertuzzi I just saw???? Hockey oblivion I tell ya. Ducks control play early… - pjf

8:07 1st TV time out, shots on goal 8-0 Ducks for the period. -pjf 

8:12 I just got back from taking a walk around the building concourses to do a few snaps for the web site. Most of the Buffalo fans are wearing the old black and red jerseys. Must be expats. The hallways here are very pretty and opulent, marble tile and mirrors everywhere, but the seating bowl is sterile and uninspiring. I like our building much better. -ak 

8:13 First PP of the game, message to Anaheim PA guy, it’s pronounced spah-check, not spay-check…. successful PK-pjf

8:20 Second penalty on Spacek, and again PA guy gets it wrong…..arrgh…..2-1!-pjf

8:24 If you’ve gone to bed after the first period, not to worry apparently so have the Sabres. Not a pretty sight here for Buffalofan here at “The Pond” SOG for second period is currently 13-1 in favor of Anaheim. - pjf

8:30 five on four? No difference from the rest of the period. - pjf

8:32 3-1! Todd….@#$#!! Bertuzzi! The cigar is out of the pocket, if Anaheim scores next I will light it…-pjf

8:36 End of 2….Anaheim 3, Six guys wearing Sabre jerseys 1….I thinks the real Sabres are still out on the beach. SOG Ducks 16(25) Buffalo 3(11). - pjf

8:45 Stat that needs to be mentioned in an effort to jinx Anaheim: The Sabres have not lost at “The Pond” since Ted Nolan was behind the bench(5-2, 1/10/97). - pjf

9:00 Clock strikes midnight back east, and its Bertuzzi v. Gaustad on the ice….Bertuzzi making me look silly for my “oblivion” comment…..now it’s Peters v Paroos again…and this time Peters makes quick work of it. Guess they’re making up for the fact that these two clubs haven’t…ummm….faced off since October of ‘03. - pjf

9:05 The attendance has been announced at 17,174(sellout). All I’m sayin’ is that a couple thousand people, give or take a couple grand paid not to see the game. That’s all I’m sayin….-pjf

9:10 Sad Sabre PP, can’t get much going with Niedermayer without a stick for over a minute….Anaheim kills, and quickly here comes another. Pronger to the box, hmmm…..this is the game for all intents and purposes(damn you Kotalik!)-pjf

9:16 Kotalik penalty(ain’t it something) PP goal….cigar is lit….everyone back east go to bed now. - pjf

9:31 2:31 to go and Miller just made a great save, still fending for himself out there. This clock going waaaaaaayy too slow. - pjf

9:36 Finito! 4-1 Ducks…..postgame crap to come……

We are at the Honda Center in Anaheim this morning, where the Buffalo Sabres are getting ready for their first appearance on the west coast since 2003.

The local media out here is making much of the face off between brothers Drew Miller of the Anaheim Ducks, and Sabres goalie Ryan Miller, who is expected to get the start in net tonight for Buffalo. Both players have expressed their close bond as brothers, and both admit it will be weird facing each other at this level.

On the Anaheim side of the ledger, another Duck with close ties to Buffalo, Todd Marchant, was a healthy scratch the other night against Edmonton, a rare occurrence for Marchant. He might be watching tonight’s game from the pressbox as well, as he is apparently deep in Coach Randy Carlyle’s doghouse, Carlyle suggesting the Marchant needs to show a higher level of “tenacity”.

The Buffalo Sabres did not take to the ice this morning for a practice, after arriving on Monday they had a full practice at the arena yesterday and had the day off in preparation for tonight’s game.

Buffalo has had a lot of success against Anaheim here at “The Pond”, as it used to be called, posting a 7-2 record here in California since the beginnings of this franchise. The last time these two teams met here in ’03, Buffalo won the game 5-2.

USRT notes… last time WE were here was in January of 2000 for our “official” visit, and the Sabres were the opponents that night. It was all Buffalo on that occasion as well, shutting out the Mighty Ducks 5-0, and Miro Satan scoring a garbage goal with a second left on the clock to cap off a great night for the Sabres.

No silly banners hanging in the rafters on our last visit, but this time the three championship banners from 2007, including the most important one, for the Stanley Cup, all hang proudly.

The fact that an east coast team is playing here is something of a curiosity, but apparently Buffalo is not exactly a big draw. They are offering 4 packs for tonight’s game in the upper deck, which includes 4 hot dogs, 4 pops and a program for only $66. Good deal!

Face off is at 7PM PT/10PM ET. We are assuming that unlike in Buffalo, media wi-fi is universally available here, and if so we will be live-blogging throughout the game.

One of the most fulfilling and joyous parts of doing what we do is meeting and making friends with like minded sports travel enthusiasts like ourselves. People who are a little bit crazy like us, and definitely who we can share road trip adventure stories and commiserate with.

Last year around this time we got to meet two young fellas from Oceanside, California, who had saved up for years as teenagers to fulfill their lifelong dream - travel by car and visit all 30 NHL arenas, including a Sabres game at HSBC Arena. They completed their journey across the continent successfully in just 74 days.

Our introduction to Daniel Tsunekawa and Andy DiMento was innocuous enough at first; Andy’s mom Kathy stumbled across the USRT web site and emailed us, sharing the story of the two friends who would be coming our way and do we have any travel tips or suggestions.

We sprung into action, setting them up for a VIP welcome through our Sabres contacts at HSBC Arena, and also letting some of our media contacts at other NHL teams know they were heading their way. Once the guys got to Buffalo, we took them around town, made the obligatory visit to Duff’s for beef on weck and chicken wings, and the Sabres set them up with a video board intro and post game locker room passes.

The DiMento and Tsunekawa families were grateful for the help we rendered for their boys’ trip, and we promised that if we ever get to California we would be sure to look them up.Well that happy occasion happened tonight at the Elephant Room, a cool eatery in San Marcos just north of San Diego; Daniel’s parents and sister, as well as Andy’s folks joined the guys for a nice dinner and a celebration of the renewal of a good friendship forged through road tripping and the love of hockey.

We spent the evening enjoying a great meal, catching up on events in our lives this past year, talking hockey and of course what road trip adventures await. Daniel is chomping at the bit to hit the road again and travel; Andy groused that money is tight but yeah, he’s got the itch as well.

Peter is never one to skip a dessert, and he ordered up the chocolate chip oreo ice cream with whipped cream concoction… yeah he finished off this sucker too!

Daniel and Andy are heading up to Anaheim tomorrow to catch the Sabres/Ducks game, and they promise to bring on their karma for the Buffalo boys. We’re going to join up with them afterwards for some postgame libations (just soft drinks moms and dads we promise ) near the Honda Center.

Our sports road trip fraternity just keeps on growing, and we are happy to have Daniel and Andy as part of this great posse!

Sightseeing in downtown San Diego on a cloudless 68 degree day. Everything down here that we hope downtown Buffalo might become. Enjoy the pics!

Condos condos and more condos… going up at a dizzying pace all over downtown.

“The Park in the Park” beyond centerfield at Petco Park, home of the San Diego Padres

The Gaslamp Quarter, downtown’s vibrant entertainment and retail district

The breathtaking skyline is dotted with high rise hotels and residential towers

Yeah they do preserve their heritage and restore their old buildings too

The most beloved Padre of them all… Tony Gwynn

You know I’m really liking being out here on the West Coast for a few days, and last night’s Pats/Ravens game currently sits as the biggest reason why.

I had the opportunity to watch a great game with tons of compelling drama last night. Saw it all unfold on TV as Baltimore and New England battled it out in a sixty minute slugfest. Right down to the Hail Mary pass that was caught at the two yard line to end the game.

Why is this a big deal? Because out here in San Diego I was actually able watch this game all the way until its conclusion!! Better yet, I wasn’t even remotely tired at game’s end, nor did I fight like the dickens to keep my eyes open for the majority of the second half. To top it all off, I actually got to see Tom Brady’s arrogance in full form as he basically bit the heads off of reporters who dared question him too harshly during the postgame press conferences.

I can’t remember the last time I was able to do this….wait, yes I can. Silly me, I certainly can’t remember the last time I saw a MNF game in full in the comfort of my living room.

I realize that these games will always start way too late for us folk on the East Coast to watch the full game comfortably and in its entirety, but would it be too much to ask for the NFL to do for the entire season what they do in Week 1 for MNF(doubleheader @ 7/10:30)?? It’s the one time of year where seeing an entire NFL prime time game is feasible.

USRT history was made on this Sunday December 2.

For the first time ever, we attended two NBA basketball games on the same day… in the same venue no less.

There was lots going on in the sports world in L.A. on day 2 of our journey… USC was hosting Kansas in mens basketball at the new Galen Center, while UCLA was hosting Texas at Pauley Pavilion, a game which Andrew was lobbying to go see.

But in the end we wound up spending the day downtown at the Staples Center, where the headline game that evening was the Los Angeles Lakers hosting the Orlando Magic.

First up at Staples would be the JV game featuring the Indiana Pacers and Los Angeles Clippers.

We entered the arena about an hour prior to game time bracing for the worst in customer service thanks to previous experiences here and seeing metal detectors at the entrances did nothing to dissuade that notion. Things changed quickly though when the first usher we saw asked me to wish a fellow usher a happy birthday. Hmmm…cheery, friendly game day staff at Staples???? Huh?? That set the tone for the day in that department and really there was nothing to be concerned about from that end from there on out. (We just had to be certain to clear our pockets before entry).

Walking around the concourses at the “Clip Joint” never ceases to amaze me. The idea that a club like this, with its history of constant on and off court ineptitude from the time Paul Snyder sold this team to John Y. Brown can STILL have any kind of diehard loyal fan base is mind boggling. Yet here I was amidst thousands of people decked out in red/white/blue Elton Brand, Shawn Livingston jerseys…et al. I have to wonder, are these people truly Clipper fans? Or are they people that simply hate the Lakers for whatever reason?

Yes there was someone wearing a Buffalo Braves tshirt as well(ahem, ahem) and as usual got noticed for it. Also never a surprise while traveling….running into the Buffalo expat at the game, it always happens and yes I wore that Braves shirt to bring those people out of the woodwork.

The game itself was exciting and competitive as the Pacers broke a deadlock at 88 late in the fourth quarter to win 101-95. Jamal Tinsley was an absolute terror from the perimeter scoring 10 of those points down the stretch.

Mind you we were being interrupted(gladly so) by constant updates of doings at FedEx Field, and we apologize to the fans who sat directly in front of us as we screamed with delight after seeing the final score from there while in the middle of nondescript action on the court. So we left the building happy unlike most of the 13,741(yeah right) others.

Our downtime was spent wandering around the arena and cringing about all the new development around and about…and when it was time to stop bitching we settled into a nice tavern(Riordan’s) a couple blocks away to catch the end of the 4 o’clo…errr…1 o’clock games and see Missouri get screwed out of a BCS bid. From there it would be time to catch “The Lake Show”….the varsity game…Lakers v. Orlando(NBA’s best record) Magic.

Just like the skies above Staples Center changed from day to night, so were the in game experiences between the Clippers and Lakers. First off, there would be a full house for this event and that alone created an energy that blew away the matinee. Then came the pre game festivities, with a pair of “goosebump” video montages reminding all who are in attendance that not only are the Lakers the big team in LA, but also one of the most glorified, successful franchises in all of sports dating back to their days in the Twin Cities. The images of Mikan, Baylor, West, Magic, Kareem, Worthy, Shaq, Kobe…also the great moments….Horry…Fisher beating the clock…West from three quarter court. Great to watch with much of it using the voice of Chick Hearn in the background.

Interesting note, the second montage was done by hanging huge white sheets over the center video board that hung to the court with the video projecting on them.

But onto the game. It was tight early on Kobe decided that it would be time to put on a show….back to back to back threes followed by an incredible…how…the…heck…did…he…reach…that…high…to….bring…one…in…catch and slam of an alley oop pass to make it 21 -11 Lakers(more to the point, Kobe 12, Magic 11). Watching him work reminded me why I love this game more than any other, despite the ineptitude of the Knicks.

But the Magic aren’t one of the league’s elite for nothing, and like the JV game earlier broke open a tie game late in the fourth quarter to win 104-97(Hedo Turkoglu playing the role of Jamal Tinsley in this one).

So once again the Lakers pay for treating us like such crap on our first visit. We’ve seen them live five time in four different venues, and they lost all five.

Parked the car @ 11am, hopped back into it at 9:15 pm and off to our couches in La Casa de French on the outskirts of San Diego. We won’t be attending any more sporting events until the Sabres come to Anaheim on Wednesday so you may not hear from us until then…or maybe you will. In either case….stay tuned!

The Staples Center by day

Their arena looks even more stunning by night