Tom Griffin, son of the late Mayor James Griffin, throws out the first pitch tonight at Dunn Tire Park

It was a nice ceremony. Short. Poignant.

Tonight at Dunn Tire Park, the Buffalo Bisons honored the memory of Mayor Jimmy Griffin, in the house that he played such a huge part in bringing to fruition back in the 80s.

A short slide show sprinkled with video vignettes, a moment of silence, and then Jimmy’s son throwing out the first pitch. It was moving. It was appropriate. It was done with class.

R.I.P. JDG

“Things aren’t much better in Cleveland”

In this week’s Play Ball, we discuss what’s going wrong with the Bisons parent team. Also some musings on the late Mayor Jimmy Griffin.

Check it out!

Yes, there was contact.

Yes, the shot was altered as a result.

No, the whistle should not have been blown, and thankfully wasn’t.

To have done so would have taken the outcome of the game out of the hands of the players, and into the whistle of the officiating. At this level, and this far into the postseason that simply cannot happen.

The Spurs had 47 minutes and 57.9 seconds prior to that possession to change the outcome of said game. They couldn’t.

And someone tell me this, while Brent Barry was having a great game coming off of the bench(23 pts), what in the world was he doing with the ball in his hands with the game on the line. The lineup for San Antonio in that last possession had Finley, “Big Shot” Bob Horry, Duncan, and Ginobili. This is the last guy I want with the ball there.

And whatever happened to “home team plays for the tie, road team goes for the win” philosophy? They couldn’t have dumped it in to Duncan? Who on LA would stop that guy close to the basket?(Hell, another three point attempt couldn’t have been worse.)

So the Lakers are up 3-1. And the Spurs have plenty of reasons to blame themselves for it. Start with blowing a 20 point third quarter lead in Game 1, continue with Ginobili’s battles through pain making him a non factor for three of four games, and quite frankly the Lakers have outhustled the Spurs and made the effort plays that decide a series winner(ahem, offensive rebounding).

But don’t think this series ends tommorow night. I just can’t see the Spurs rolling over and dying, there’s too much talent and a lot more pride in these guys to see them going any way but quietly.

Some Eastern Conference material……

Isn’t it great to see teams win on the road? The Conference Finals have seen as many road team wins(3) as in all of the Conference Semis. Oh, not really on Eastern note….sorry.

Is it me, or have the Celtics been flat ever since racing out to a big lead in game 3 on Piston soil? I wonder if they felt like it was “mission accomplished” after that win and didn’t perform in Game 4 as a result. A dangerous attitude that is against Detroit, especially since they’ve already taken a game on Boston’s floor in this series.

Doc Rivers just won’t give up on Sam Cassell will he? A part of me can’t blame him after he saw some flashes of his old brilliance in this series. The guy has hit clutch shots in the postseason for several clubs going back to day OJ was in a low speed police chase in his white Ford Bronco. Doc…pssst, find time for Eddie House. Just sayin’.

I know we tend to bitch about annoying PA guy for the Bandits, but the guy doesn’t hold a candle to the Palace’s “Mason”. I’d stay away from Pistons games if I lived in Michigan, and I love hoops.

Stuckey has filled in admirably for the hobbled Chauncey Billups. But make no mistake, Billups will be needed to push the Pistons past the Celtics. He’s probably the Piston’s best clutch shooter.

Joe Dumars….Isiah Thomas. Backcourt mates in as players. So how do two guy’s front office careers go to completely opposite ends of the spectrum?? I mean, no one would have noticed if Isiah drafted Milicic. He’d be just another pile on the scrap heap.

And by the way Brent, I thinks your old man would have nailed that shot(underhanded too).

We have been trying for years to schedule a trip to see Le Colisee in Quebec City, a former NHL venue which was once home to the Quebec Nordiques. The QMJHL Quebec Remparts now play there, and since we’re doing the Grey Cup in Montreal this November, what better a time to finally tie in that visit.

The Q posted their 2008-09 regular season schedule today, and the frikkin’ Remparts are on the road both on Friday and Saturday that weekend. Their home date? SUNDAY, at the same time the Grey Cup is on, no less!

So as far as our ongoing tour of QMJHL venues, we’re not going to let this trip be a total loss… Friday night we will catch Montreal’s newest Q team, which is relocating from St. John’s, Newfoundland. They will be playing at Verdun Auditorium, which is a short subway ride from our hotel. (Betcha Kevin Jordan hasn’t been there yet we might actually beat him to a CHL rink!)

On Saturday we will take the 60 mile ride out to Drummondville to see the Votigeurs. It’s an afternoon game too so that will get us back to Montreal in plenty of time to check out the party/drinking scene on Rue Ste. Catherine on the eve of the Grey Cup.

And who will be the road team for both those games? Yep the Quebec Remparts! The cruelest of ironies.

UPDATE The 2008-09 schedule might not have been formally released after all. That link above now references last year’s schedule, and the tab for next year is gone from the Q web site. But I DID SEE IT. I am not crazy.

-Andrew Kulyk

Full disclosure: I grew up playing tons of golf. Many of my teenage summers were spent playing at this particular course near my home growing up. I ate it, drank it, breathed it, and on a least two occasions put in 45 holes in a single day. And 72 over a weekend was common in summertime…..you get the picture.

Nowadays it’s the complete opposite. That 45 number is one that I sometimes haven’t reached for an entire season. In fact, the clubs haven’t even come out of the closet yet, not even for the driving range.

So while I’m no longer a rabid fan, I still pay attention out of the corner of my eye. And when a tournament event comes into the area, I’m all over it. Hence today would be the day to travel to Rochester’s renowned Oak Hill Country Club for the final round of the Senior PGA Championship.

It’s a real treat to see such a high quality of golf whenever the opportunity presents itself. Reason being is that opportunities to witness live golf are VERY rare in these parts compared to other sports in this part of the woods. Consider: Top level football and hockey are available right here in town, baseball and basketball just ninety miles away and all take place(and have been for years) multiple times each year.

For golf…well, there’s the occasional big time tournament at Oak Hill, the ‘95 Ryder Cup, the PGA Championship in ‘03 among others to have taken place every so often. That’s it, that’s all for the golf fan. So while watching a tournament is much easier to follow if seen on TV, the fact that a live experience is so rare makes up for its many shortcomings (difficult to see over people at times, unable to stay informed about scoring consistently. etc.)

And the added bonus for me in this situation would be that there were two competitors in the field who grew up playing on that same course that I once did years ago. Guys that we all looked up to and revered as kids learning to play the game going up against the other players that they battled during those times years ago.

It was plenty of fun, and it started from the time I hit the MCC shuttle bus parking lot. I had no ticket, but someone handed me a premium ticket with access to the Oak Hill club house for below face value. Sweet!!

So I get there at about 10am with a strategy to follow the local guys as much as possible with the goal of watching (HORSEHEADS’ OWN!) Joey Sindelar until he dropped out of contention. First off, I saw former Buffalo resident Jim Thorpe for a couple holes on the back nine, then waited on the twelfth green until Horseheads’ other stud golfer Mike Hulbert showed up. I watched him get his only birdie of the day on the one hole I watched.

Sorry Mike, I was going to stick with you longer but as he made for the 14th Sindelar was about to tee off at the first hole nearby and his entrance into play brought about an interesting and unexpected dynamic as he was in the same playing group with Greg Norman, who is currently engaged to retired tennis legend Chris Evert. The buzz for her alone was as big as for any player in the field, with possibly the exception of hometown Rochesterian Jeff Sluman. “Did you see her?”. “What’s she look like?” There even was an exchange where a fan(probably slightly inebriated) called for a “big hand for Chris Evert”. And loud applause ensued.

To her credit, she took it all in stride. She was there as just another fan. No entourage surrounding her, no pretentiousness that may come with being a renowned figure, and always obliging when fans came up for an autograph or just to chat. It really added to the day.

Also making the experience great was that clubhouse pass I had. If you are a fan of the game of golf and enjoy looking at memorabilia from days gone by then the club house will WOW you. Clubs used by legends such as Hogan, Bobby Jones, Sam Snead, the Babe(Ruth and Zaharias) along with so many others are on display here. A trophy room also exists of the major world events played here. Three US Opens, two PGA Championships, the ‘95 Ryder Cup and more. It would be a great place to walk through whether there’s a tournament in progress or not.

And as far as watching my fellow high school alum, I wound up watching the entire round of his as he never really did drop from contention. Sindelar made a couple birdies early while the leaders(Sluman and Langer particularly) dropped like a rock right off the bat. And while Joey never got closer than two strokes, he was never far enough back for me to bolt to the lead group. When the smoke cleared and play completed Sindelar would finish just two strokes back of champion Jay Haas. Nice work Joey, you can thank the USRT karma for coming so close to the trophy. I mean, you know the old saying: “Those who can’t(break 100 if their life depended on it) do, teach”, ummm….or something like that. Right?

Would be nice to have more events like this around here, say like an annual PGA or Champions Tour event. Just sayin’.

It is official! The Spokane Chiefs beat the Kitchener Rangers 4-1 this afternoon at the Kitchener Aud, host venue for this year’s Memorial Cup. The Chiefs were a perfect 4-0 in Kitchener during the tournament, and now can claim supremacy in all of CHL junior hockey.

So shouldn’t we be dancing in the streets and showing the red-white-and-blue pride? Is this not a great day for America? Americans baby!! The Memorial Cup comes south of the 49th parallel… as it should be! U.S.A.! U.S.A.!

I am, of course, being silly here. But as much as I love Canada and Canadians, I always snicker how they carry on about their hockey teams… burying loonies in the ice at the Salt Lake City Olympics, fans from just across the Peace Bridge coming to our arena and cheering for every Canadian based team who opposes the Sabres. Aren’t suicide hotlines across Canada still ringing after the Canadians crapped in their hat and lost to the Russians in Quebec City earlier this month?

Right after accepting the Memorial Cup trophy, Chiefs captain Chris Bruton dropped the Cup, and it broke into two pieces, eliciting gasps from the crowd who stayed to watch the ceremony. The players didn’t miss a beat, and skated around with both pieces. Absolutely hilarious!

-Andrew Kulyk

I just caught this article out of New York about some logistical problems holding up a potential “Ice Bowl” sequel at Yankee Stadium.

The last paragraph just floors me: “There’s some concern that there would be water damage to the Stadium if the pipes burst, with use in the winter,” Trost said. “But we don’t believe that’s a legitimate danger.”

Ummm…..the joint is being blown up shortly thereafter…does it really matter if pipes burst and such???

Chicago’s Wrigley Field(or Stadium if your name is Jeff Gordon) is the alternate site if things don’t come off in New York.

-Peter Farrell

If things fall into place as planned, no less than three new destinations will be in the travel planning hopper over the next two seasons in the International League.

Of course, we already have Lehigh Valley on the schedule this year, as the Iron Pigs have begun play at Coca Cola Park in Allentown. In fact, that roadie is coming up in a couple of weeks as part of a four day, four venue trip that will also include a farewell visit to Shea Stadium, home of the New York Mets, and AA venues in New Britain and Norwich, Connecticut.

Here are the future destinations:
CHARLOTTE

2010 is looking like the most likely opening date for a new ballpark for the Charlotte Knights, according to the Charlotte Observer. Yes there is a lawsuit trying to stop construction of the new stadium. Imagine that! Thought that sort of crap only happens in Buffalo.

GWINNETT COUNTY

They’ve started grading and clearing land at the site of the new ballpark for the Gwinnett County Braves, who are scheduled to relocate from Richmond at the conclusion of the 2008 season. Since it’s almost June, getting a stadium built in 10 months seems quite aggressive. Gwinnett County is just northeast of Atlanta, Georgia and will be the IL’s most southern outpost since the days when Havana fielded a team in the league.

COLUMBUS

Construction of Huntington Park in downtown Columbus’ Arena District is well underway, with an April, 2009 opening planned. The Buffalo News’ Mike Harrington has been in Columbus covering the Bisons series there this week, but has made nary a mention of the new stadium and its progress in his articles so far. We hope Mike got down to the construction site for a looksee. We will await his full report!

-Andrew Kulyk

The new “lifestyles” center renovations at Walden Galleria are really starting to take shape, and tonight I had a chance to drop in to a VIP party at the Regal Cinemas, with 16 stadium style theatres and all the modern amenities.

I was totally floored. The opulence is amazing, from the marble tiled flooring to the neat architecture and splash of neon colors to the high tech LED boards at the ticket kiosks and the concessions stands. It is one jaw dropping and eye popping facility.

Even better, the entire new section buildout of the mall, complete with its faux “Main Street” outside is rapidly coming to its finish. The new parking deck is open, and the old one has been given a much needed facelift. When all this is done, it will be THE shopping and entertainment destination in Western New York.

And again, I harken and recall the days in the late 80s when the NIMBYs and the unions and the kooks and assorted macadamias tried to do everything in their power to stop this mall from every happening. Thankfully they weren’t successful, and being on the front lines fighting for the mall back then, I had a front row seat to all the bullshit and obstructionism that went on.

But those freaks didn’t disappear. The names change, but the Tim Tielmans of the world and do-gooders trying to stop the Amherst Town Centre project always truck out the same tired crap - the noise, the traffic, the rats, the migratory waterfowl, the stench… blah bah blah blah.

If you haven’t seen all the recent doings at the Walden Galleria lately, come out to Cheektowaga and check things out!

-Andrew Kulyk

Well it’s official, we will not be having a first time NBA champ this season. Quite the opposite actually.

Lakers, Spurs, Celtics, and Pistons. Together they account for thirty seven of the sixty one NBA championships that have been won since the NBA was founded as the Basketball Association of America back in 1946. Every one of said franchises has had a time in NBA lore when it was considered the dominant club (in the case of San Antonio, that time would be the present) in the league. And it would be difficult to imagine a more established and respected group of franchises represented in the conference finals than what we have this year.

So which will be the one to raise the Larry O’Brien trophy in about a month? Well that topic is for a couple weeks time, we’ll just deal with the here and now by grabbing a rundown of the Conference Finals slated to get underway tonight in Boston.

Eastern Conference

Boston v. Detroit

Let’s see, we’ve got the Celtics. Team with all those titles, but are making just their second conference finals appearance in twenty years. The team that had the league’s best road record during the season but can’t win on the road in the playoffs. One wonders if the Knicks could have taken them to seven games.

Then there’s Detroit. Is it safe to start calling these guys the Atlanta Braves of basketball? This is their sixth consecutive trip to the conference finals with just one title(’04) which was earned under heavy underdog status and a Finals appearance a year later. All done with a core of players that has remained somewhat intact through the years. Tyshawn Prince, Chauncey Billlups, and Richard Hamilton have been with the team for all six appearances and Rasheed Wallace is here for his fifth.

Boston won the season series two games to one, and each team won a game on the opposing team’s home floor(imagine that Celtics). If Boston wants to get by these guys they’ll have to do it again. This isn’t a young group of newbies(Atlanta) or a club personified by one player(Cleveland), Detroit’s chemistry as a bunch of veteran guys who’ve been together for a significant period of time is going to be a huge advantage over Boston, who thanks to all of the key additions to the team prior to and during the season are the complete opposite.

Boston wins if: The homecourt record stays intact, Rondo wins head to head against Billups, Allen and Cassell realize that the season is still in progress.

Detroit wins if: Sheed plays at the top of his game, the D locks down on KG. Laimbeer smacks down on Ainge(ooops, time warp flashback).

Petey’s heart pick(Celtics in 6)….the real pick(Pistons in 6)…the Celtics just need more time to gel. Unfortunately, it may be too late for Ray Allen. If his game is on a permanent downswing, the door for the Celts may close for good without another significant offseason move.

Western Conference

Lakers v San Antonio

First a quick bit to vent about last night’s Hornets/Spurs game. It’s utterly clear that while New Orleans has the talent, they didn’t quite have the mindset or experience necessary to be able to finish off San Antonio. Just as obvious was that San Antonio did, while the Hornets tried to lean on their star players(West/Paul), the Spurs got critical contributions from several of the role players….Udoka, Finley, and heck…let’s change “Cheap Shot” Bob’s nickname back to “Big Shot” while we’re at it. The Hornets answer in that department was a fourth quarter flurry from Jannero Pargo….that isn’t gonna get it done. Not against that crew. But props to New Orleans on giving the reeling city in the Bayou another reason to be proud.

I’m thinking that the Spurs matchup even better against LA than against the Hornets. Derek Fisher isn’t going to put up Chris Paul like numbers, and certainly isn’t going to be able to slow down Tony Parker. Pau Gasol should have trouble with the Spurs frontcourt presence. Manu will get his.

And mind you…which Laker will get the wonderful pleasure of being guarded by Bruce Bowen?? Lotsa fun that’ll be I bet.

Of course, the best player on the floor will be wearing the purple and gold and Kobe’s presence will be needed, and Lamar Odom will HAVE to be a night in and night out guy in this series.

The two clubs split four regular season games with the home court team winning each time.

(To say nothing the two coaches here….haven’t they coached about 467 NBA titles between the two of them…what….thirteen of them…..really? Close enough)

Spurs win if: Key contributions from bench/role players continue en masse….they’re just deeper in that regard.

Lakers win if: Kobe goes beserk and continues for entire series. Gasol develops a mean streak, Charles Barkley picks them to lose(But don’t worry, he’s never going to bet or gamble….ever again…trust him).

Petey’s heart pick(Lakers in 7….gawd I want a Celtics/Lakers series soooooo bad!) Reality check: (Spurs, aka The Borg in 5)

Pistons/Spurs? Send me a postcard, at least the Stanley Cup Final will be going on….. wha?….they’ll be done??? Arghh……..

Nathan Strang’s entire photo collection from Saturday’s Bandits championship game is now up on Flickr.

Click RIGHT HERE for the link. Enjoy!

I’m still all a glow about this past weekend and the NLL Championship game which our Buffalo Bandits ended up winning in grand style.

In the scheme of things, this wasn’t the sports catharsis that Buffalo fans have been waiting their whole lives for… the National Lacrosse League is still a “minor” sport in terms of revenues, fan support, viewership, salaries etc. A Buffalo Bills Super Bowl win or a Buffalo Sabres Stanley Cup would blow away anything we saw or experienced this past Saturday.

Yet it was so cool, nonetheless. I sat in the pressbox for almost all of the game, but at the 5 minute left mark I decided to take the elevator down to ground level and experience the game amidst the fans.I wasn’t disappointed. Standing in the zamboni entrance, the noise and the din was unbelievable. Other media people, HSBC Arena staff members, league officials and the Bandettes cheerleaders were making this area one crowded place.

I saw Portland’s 13th goal go in, and from there I just had my heart in my throat…please please please, just kill this clock. The last second frenzy around the Buffalo net unfolded right before my eyes. And then it was over…Pandemonium! Jubilation!

Nate was doing photo, so with nothing official to do I had the opportunity to stand there in the middle of the field and just soak it all in. The stands were absolute bedlam. Players were hugging and crying and high fiving in celebration. I felt like I was in some sort of dream state. And I thought to myself…just enjoy this moment. Just savor this moment. How often is it that one gets to experience something like this?

I was at Rogers Centre Skydome back in 1993 when Joe Carter belted his home run to win the World Series for the Jays. I attended both the ‘93 and ‘96 Bandits championships games in the Aud. Remember the RHI Buffalo Stampede? Yes I was there when they beat Portland to win their league title in summer of ‘94. That game also ended in a flurry around the Buffalo net, and when time expired, Stampede star player John Vechiarelli tossed his stick in the stands in celebration. Guess who was in the first row in the upper golds and snagged that souvenir? Yessiree…yours truly!

The most recent Buffalo championship was the Bisons Governors Cup win at Dunn Tire Park in 2004. Yes that too was a special experience that I got to enjoy through the eyes of a media person, but comparing 2004 to last Saturday’s championship, the Bandits win that matchup hands down. For several reasons… the first being the size of the crowd and the intensity of the fans. There were perhaps 7000 in attendnace when the Bisons won their Cup, and an ocean of empty seats. There was no national TV coverage, no glare of big press, just another league title among many minor leagues that play in September. The players on that team were probably more interested in knowing if they were getting a callup to Cleveland than savoring their title. Trust me, for Ryan Garko, Bisons first baseman who recorded the final out, that game and event is but a distant memory. For Mark Steenhuis, who I saw weeping on the field, last Saturday was a night he will remember the rest of his life.

I got a real chuckle, actually a guffaw, on reading the sainted Jerry Sullivan’s column,as well as his blog report on the Bandits game. Nice pieces, but it was clear that Sullivan had never attended a lacrosse game or given a rat’s ass about the Bandits before this night. To wit:

“5:59 left in the second: So much for the funk. Steenhuis scores on a long feed from goalie Thompson. PA man Chris Swenson yells, “Whose House?” Fans answer, “Steenhuis!” It’s pronounced Steen-house.”

Gee Jerr, ya figured that out?

I’m not one to bust on Buffalo News sports guys… I’ll leave that dirty task up to Kevin and his posse at Bfloblog. But as much as it was great seeing the Buffalo News offer top billing coverage to the Bandits all week long, I feel like telling Sullivan to shove his column and his coverage up his ass. Where has he been the past 16 years? Only I won’t tell him, because unlike his colleagues, all of whom are pretty decent guys (yes even Bucky), Jerry Sullivan walks around a sports pressbox, gazes at people like me, a freelance writer for some grubby weekly, or even worse, some blogger, deems me not worthy of his time, and keeps walking, nose ever upturned at a 45 degree angle. See ya at the 2009 NLL Championship Jerr!

We had a really fun night celebrating the championship downtown on Saturday night. Pete and I dropped Nate off at Club Marcella’s, a nightclub where he runs lights and music on weekends, and promised we’d stop in for a nightcap. We then headed to our regular hangout, Washington Square Lounge, for a pitcher and wings. Bob, the owner, was nowhere to be found, only one bartender on duty, and the place was dead. So we left immediately and walked over to Pearl Street Brewery. Big mistake! That place was wall to wall and five deep at the bar, so even getting a drink would be a challenge and require a strategy.

So back in the car we went, and off to Marcellas. Nate had us on the VIP list so we got in without the cover. I got smashed, Pete was fine, and we had a fun time there watching the dance floor get packed (and thankfully, no chix with dix lighting up the stage).

Chippewa Street was in full swing by the time we left the club in search of food… we headed to Jim’s Steakout, chowed down on their famous steak and cheese, and were ready to call it a night, except we ran into Brendan McDaniels (fellow media guy and Bisons game night host). Brendan had worked with the ESPN crew for the Bandits game and was on a patio at one of the bars He spotted us and called out “C’mon in guys, I’m here with the league guys! Sure enough, there was NLL Communications Veep Doug Fritts and some of the other league officials, enjoying the Buffalo nightlife.

Still feeling the effects of the grand marniers, I started busting Doug - “Yeah you guys wanted the Titans to win last week so you could have this game in the Big Apple. Some of those non calls looked pretty suspect!” I told Doug, tongue in cheek the whole time.

But Doug and his posse would hear none of that. “Are you kidding?” he said. “Look at that great pumped crowd here tonight. Buffalo is such a great sports city. Look at these fans. Look at the jerseys and the costumes. This entire night and the way it came off just helps to grow our sport.” Yeah, the NLL honchos seemed to have a good time and they really meant it when they paid their props to B-Lo. I liked what I heard.

Brendan and his group headed out to the Buckin’ Buffalo for country jams, and yet more libations and partying. He invited us to come along, but me being an Old Fart and Pete being an Old Fart-In-Training, we decided to call it a night at 2AM. Still, it was cool going out and partying like this, on a championship night, and really wish we could do it more often. Just imagine what it would be like… the Sabres… or the Bills. Sigh!

Champions.

With a packed house of noisy orange clad, pom pom waving Buffalo fans on hand, the Buffalo Bandits captured their fourth indoor lacrosse title in franchise history, defeating the Portland Lumberjax 14-13 at HSBC Arena.

This city was pumped. One could feel the excitement and energy out in the streets, and in the arena tonight, as Buffalo sports fans who have gone through a dearth of good news these past ten months finally had themselves something to savor.

Portland never led in this one. The Bandits set the tone for this one right from the opening faceoff, when John Tavares got the first goal of the game at the 22 second mark on a long shot from outside. Portland tied it shortly thereafter, and the teams traded goals until Kevin Dostie got back to back netters mid way. Mark Steenhuis’ first goal of the night came as a long shot from the perimeter as the quarter was about to expire. Buffalo had themselves a 6-3 lead.

Steenhuis would add two more goals in the second period, one a long feed pass from goalie Mike Thompson. Not to be overlooked was the work Mike Accursi did to get Steenhuis open at times, playing the role of offensive lineman and taking out two Portland defenders on several occasions. Said Steenhuis “We feel two on two we have some good chemistry going. He’s a great guy to work with. He does so much grunt work that hopefully doesn’t go unnoticed.” The Bandits maintained their three goal lead into the half.

But Portland would not go away.

“I give their team a lot of credit” said John Tavares. “They hung in there and hung in there. They had some glorious opportunities. Give Portland a lot of credit for not giving up and working hard.” With Buffalo’s offense going into hibernation early in the third, the Lumberjax brought it to within one. That’s when Kevin Dostie scored yet another clutch goal to give the Bandits some cushion. Billy Dee Smith added a shorthanded netter late in the quarter, and the Buffalo margin heading into the 4th was two goals.

With the title on the line and the tension in the air, Steenhuis scored an apparent goal in the first minute of the 4th. But NO! A crease violation wiped that one out, and Portland Dan Dawson immediately took the ball down the field and sailed one past Thompson to cut their deficit to one.

That’s when the Thompson show kicked in for real.

Mike Thompson made several stunning an acrobatic saves, none more apparent then when Portland hit the crossbar, and Thompson then deflected the rebound by waving his leg into the air. “Mikey absolutely shut the door when he had to” said Coach Darris Kilgour. “It was the best save of the night.” Thompson added, “As the fourth quarter went on I could see the guys tiring a bit, but that just got me stronger and I felt as long as I keep my focus we’ll have this one.” The bench and the crowd fed on the great saves. Steenhuis then got his fifth goal of the night, and what proved to be the game winner, with just over five minutes left.

Playing without defensive specialist Chris White, who left the game early with an injury, the Bandits hunkered down, while Portland tried pulling the goalie on several occasions to get the extra attacker on the field.

Former Bandit Derek Malawsky scored with 48 seconds left to make the score 14-13. Buffalo’s subsequent possession went for naught and Portland got the ball with one last chance. The Lumberjax players swarmed the Buffalo net, but Thompson came up huge once again in the closing ticks, and time finally ran out. The celebration was on.

The crowd was a huge factor in the outcome. Said Coach Kilgour “I think you look at our record this year we were 3-4 on the road and 10-2 at home, so that says it all right there. To look in the crowd and see all the fans, the jerseys, doing all the chants. I think it has an effect on the other team as well.”

Kilgour also remarked on how the experience winning a championship as a coach differs from that of being a player. “Yeah it is different. You’re not on the floor. You’re not picking and rolling. You have to sit back and try to keep a level eye out, where as a player you go out there from shift to shift and just get rid of that excess energy.”

The celebration in the pavilion and out on the streets was loud and jubilant, but not exactly the window smashing, tipping over cars, setting fires in the streets kind of party. Fans who made it to this game were treated to a great show, and left the building happy and rewarded. Rich Kilgour said “Any championship feels good, but this was nice because we were able to do it at home for these great fans.” “We want to do it again next year” said a smiling Mike Thompson. “I’m ready to come back. I’m ready. Let’s go!”

-Best sign #1: Welcome to Banditland: Population 18,690

-Best sign #2: Mohawkland Banditland (covered an entire row)

-Best sign #3: 1-2-3- we want 4 (with a pic of the Champions Cup)

-Network acronym sign guy entry: Everyone Saw Portland’s (got) Nothin’

-Funniest line of the night: At the conclusion of the postgame press conference in the media room, Richie Kilgour chanted out “B-A-R! B-A-R! To the bar! To the bar! To the bar, to the bar, to the bar!”

-Biggest boos of the night: No, not for the Lumberjax or any visiting player. The fans reserved their scorn for Tom Golisano and Larry Quinn, when NLL Commissioner Jim Jennings mentioned their names during the trophy presentation. Both Golisano and Quinn were in attendance at the game.

-Spotted in the pressbox: Kurt Silcott, former Bandits GM.

-Best timing award: Mark Steenhuis’s game winning goal, the Bandits’ 14th of the game, came with 5:38 left on the clock, just as pressbox attendants were collecting the MVP ballots from the reporters up and down media row. Pete and I both already had Steenhuis’ name penned in on our ballots. Wonder if that huge goal swayed anymore votes?

Check back. Nathan Strang shot some great video and photos of the event, the postgame celebrations and the scene outside after the game and we’ll have it up soon. I will also have a separate post with some of the sights and sounds that Pete and I encountered celebrating downtown after the big win.
-Andrew Kulyk

Our buddy and fellow free lance sportswriter Mike Haim was covering the Bisons/PawSox game for the Providence Journal on Pawtucket’s recent visit to Dunn Tire Park. Wednesday night’s game, got rained out, and and the headline and byline got mashed together in their paper the next day.

So if Mike can order up rainouts, can locusts and other plagues of Egypt be far behind?

UPDATE

I received a call today from Sabres PR Commish Mike Gilbert, who happened to read this post and wished to clarify a couple points.

Mike informed me that all season ticket holder benefits, including Sabrebucks , advance ticket purchase privileges, etc. that have been extended in the past will remain in effect for the 2008-09 season. He did admit that the team could have done a better job conveying that news, but there was no intention to mask information or withhold anything from the team’s customers.

Existing season ticket holders have until June 20 to commit to next year’s tickets. Judging from feedback so far, Mike says that the Sabres expect few cancellations.

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I am absolutely amazed, and a bit disheartened, being the shill for the team that I often am, at the way the Sabres are executing their season ticket renewals.

In past years, the team heralded their campaign with a detailed chart and grid showing all the various pricing plans and the savings over window prices. Last year, customers who committed to renewing in advance of the playoffs even received round one playoff tickets at regular season prices.

Today we received our renewal letters, and as in the past there are three payment dates staggered throughout the summer, along with info on various ways to make ones payments. But other than a letter from John Sinclair and the total bill (less the credit for unplayed playoff games), nada. Do we still get Sabrebucks? Who knows!

And what are the season ticket prices? Even this info is not divulged, and one has to go to the trusty calculator to figure it all out.So assuming a 41 game schedule with preseason thrown in as a benny, here is what I can tell you…

100 level/II seats go from $42 to $46 each.

100 level/III seats go from $31 to $35 each.

Memo to Sabres: Your season ticket prices are still a screaming bargain in this day and age. Why are you not shouting that fact from the rooftops? All this skullduggery and half spoonfuls of information is not “taking care of your best customers”, in my opinion.

Anyone else get their renewal in sections other than listed above? If so please share your ticket cost. Just a warning - have your calculator handy, the Sabres are not going to figure this out for you.

-Andrew Kulyk