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!

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