As far as the “marquee entrance” to the venue is concerned… this is it

A view of the field. Check out that massive foul territory. And the power alleys are very short, roughly 350 feet each way.

The grandstand

Welcome to the minor leagues. Departing fans, cars leaving and players walking to the clubhouse all share the gravel road leading into the Centennial Field property

Here we are at Centennial Field in Burlington, and believe it when we say “wtf are we doing here!”

First if all, getting from Buffalo to Burlington is one big clusterf**k. Heading down the I-90 towards Albany is easy enough, but once you point the car northwards and veer off the Northway, things get a bit dicey. The views of Lake George and Lake Champlain are bucolic and breathtaking, but for the 90 mile or so drive through this beautiful piece of country it is a winding two lanes with plenty of obstructions, slowdowns, and scant few chances to pass the slowpokes. We left Amherst at 6 AM and arrived at the ballpark just after the first pitch.

Centennial Field is every bit of the old NY-Penn League, much closer on the opulence meter to Oneonta than Brooklyn. It is tucked away in a residential neighborhood adjacent to the University of Vermont campus, and foreboding signs warn people not to park on the side streets. There are only a few parking spaces right at the ballpark, but a satellite lot about a mile away and a free shuttle service ferries people to the stadium. (We flashed our Bisons credential and they let us park beyond the centerfield fence, square in the midst of Danny Carnevale territory Ohhhhh..My Cadillac!!!)

Concrete risers with wooden seats, paint peeling, a wooden grandstand roof, your bare bones scoreboard listing “home” and “guest”, self standing concession stands outside the grandstand along an asphalt concourse. This venue is among the oldest in the NAPBL and it really shows. But if you pine for the baseball experience of days gone by, Centennial Field is baseball nirvana.

Amongst the ballpark dreck concession offerings is one neat treat, and it’s a dessert - “Chessters” is a frozen custard sandwich, with vanilla ice cream packed in between two chocolate chip cookies. Thumbs up for that! Otherwise, the pizza was actually pretty good here, while the boiled frankfurters on a bun were truly forgettable.

Being the only day game of the entire Lake Monsters season, it was a pretty full house and plenty of kids in the stands, and this game went 14 innings before Brooklyn took the lead for good with a two out RBI single, and held on to win the game 5-4. Yes we stayed for the entire game, even though our eyes were drooping a bit after the cock a doodle doo departure and the long ride.

We’re at the Sheraton right near the ballpark, and we actually got upgraded to a “club room” which means access to this nice lounge with free munchies and beverages and internet access. Sweet!

So we’re gonna rest up a bit and maybe head into downtown Burlington later tonight to tip a couple.

Tomorrow we got a ride through the beautiful hills of New Hampshire and Vermont as we make our way to Portland, Maine for Day 2 of the tour. Do we do the 250 mile trip mostly via interstate, or the 190 mile drive through winding hills and roads? We’ll make that call as we depart.

Five ballparks in four days…The Ultimate Sports Road Trip is at it again!

Thursday morning (very very early) we point the car eastward for a 1PM matinee in Burlington, Vermont and Centennial Field, home of the NY-Penn League Vermont Expos Lake Monsters.

Friday we continue eastward towards Portland, Maine and the Eastern League Portland SeaDogs. Will there be a Dan Hickling sighting? (Our firend Dan is a free lance sportswriter living in Portland who covers for a lot of outlets in the northeast… we have yet to see him at Dunn Tire Park this year).

Saturday is doubleheader day… a twilight start in Lowell, Massachusetts, home of the NY-Penn League Spinners, then we race over 35 miles north to Merchantsauto.com Stadium in downtown Manchester, new home of the Eastern League New Hampshire Fisher Cats.

We wrap it all up with a farewell visit to Yankee Stadium on Sunday, and get to hang out with our favorite road trip buds Gary and The King and their posse.

Of course there will be daily photos and stories of all our hijinks and adventures, so check in and follow us along!

As reported in the Charlotte Observer, it’s full steam ahead for a new ballpark for the Charlotte Knights in Uptown Charlotte.

A developer named Jerry Reese had gone to court challenging a land swap deal which made a swath of land right in the center city available for a $69-million stadium, to replace Knights Stadium in Ft. Mill, South Carolina. Last Friday a judge in Mecklenburg County threw out the last of the obstructionist lawsuits, which means that plans can finally move forward.

There is a possibility that the new stadium could be ready in time for the 2010 season. Next year, the International league will open two new venues - Huntington Park in Columbus, Ohio and Gwinnett Stadium in suburban Atlanta, Georgia.

So much for our prognostications. Although Pete and I both nailed the highest priced games, and both of us successfully picked a Value game. Which means our challenge is declared a tie. (Take THAT Tim Schmitt and Matt Pearl!)

The Buffalo Sabres today announced their 2008-09 variable pricing formula for single game tickets, and a new tier, the “Platinum” category, has been added to the lineup, which also includes Gold, Silver, Bronze and Value priced games.

All three Toronto games, as well as the February 6 Montreal game, have been designated in the Platinum category… ticket prices will run from $78 in the 300 end zones to a high of $233 for club level seats for those four games.

At the other end of the spectrum, only three games, October 30 Tampa Bay, November 12 St. Louis and December 1 Nashville are the bargain value games. Those seats will run $22 to a high of $99 at the window.

A couple of surprises… the Sabres have assigned both Washington games, including a Tuesday night during the Christmas holidays, as a Gold game. I’m having a hard time buying that one… even with Alexander Ovechkin on the ice, Caps games are usually a snoozefest in my opinion.

Additionally, both Rangers games and both Flyers games are Gold games, and while all four are weekend games, I’m thinking that this whole Drury and Briere thing is part of what’s driving this to the premium category… Hasn’t all that gotten a bit old?

The entire breakdown is as follows:

Platinum - 4 games (3 weekend)
Gold - 10 games (8 weekend)
Silver - 15 games (11 weekend)
Bronze - 9 games (1 weekend)
Value - 3 games (0 weekend)

Best bargains on the schedule? In addition to the three Value games, the Sunday 2/15 Carolina game in the Bronze category could be a hot seller. The 12/22 Pittsburgh game is a Silver game, and although it is a Monday night game, look for that one to go fast. The 11/28 Pittsburgh game is listed as Gold, and that is always a big night out… I would have made that Platinum.

Interestingly, two of the three Ottawa games are Bronze, and those are always exciting to be at.

Biggest dogs? Besides the two Gold Washington games, the 11/14 Columbus and the 3/6 Phoenix got Silver designation, probably because they are on Friday nights. Bow-Wow!

The Sabres announced that single game tickets will go onsale on Saturday, September 20. As in the past there will be a presale for season ticket holders in the days leading up to that date.

Check out the entire Sabres schedule, prices and game designations at this link.

No, no… not to worry. The Buffalo Bisons are not packing and relocating to OKC.

But evidently, the Bison are one of six nicknames which have been applied for with the United States Patent and Trademark Office for the soon to be relocated Seattle Supersonics franchise.

Unfortunately, Pete’s suggestion the Slimeballs didn’t make the cut. But as for owner Clay Bennett, we still think the moniker is appropriate.

-Andrew Kulyk

“The Worst Bisons Team Ever?”

In this week’s Play Ball, we compare this year’s Bisons squad to some of the teams of yesteryear, and discover that things aren’t really all that dire.

Check it out!

Flanked by Managing General Partner Larry Quinn and General Manager Darcy Regier, an ebullient Ryan Miller met with the media this morning at HSBC Arena to discuss his new contract with the Buffalo Sabres.

Miller is now locked up with the Sabres through the 2013-2014 season.

Quinn pointed out that Miller has been part of the Sabres family for about 10 years, and stated that by signing with the Sabres, he was leaving a significant of money on the table in comparison to the marketplace. “I love the buy-in that he’s giving to the organization.”

“It’s a very good time for the Sabres” added Regier. “When we look at where we are we’re in a good place and we’ll go on from here.” Regier stated that he is now working to lock Jason Pominville to a new contract, and had done some work on this project just earlier this day.

When Miller spoke, he said “I chose Buffalo. It is a bit of a buy-in. I buy into what they are all about. I have a great relationship with everyone in this organization, so it made a lot of sense to stay here… I didn’t want to leave. I like the community I like everything about it.” Miller dismissed any notion that his boyhood team the Detroit Red Wings was ever a really serious consideration. “There was no point where I was thinking to leave. I grew up about an hour and fifteen from Joe Louis Arena, but to be honest I was just a big fan of hockey growing up. But my goal is to be with an organization that backs me up and respects me and I have all that here.”

I asked Miller what his thoughts were about pairing up with new backup goaltender Patrick Lalime. “I haven’t had a chance to meet him but I hear great things. I’ve watched him his entire career. He was an inspiration to me when he was a rookie in Pittsburgh and it was lights out. I look forward to meeting him and having some fun.”

It was a pretty packed house in the media room, which even had Darcy saying “wow” as he entered the room. Quite a difference from a year ago, when “Maybe I know something you don’t” was the signature of the event as the brass tried to explain the Drury and Briere departures.

You’ve gotta get the feeling that the Sabres are back - their valuable assets are getting signed up long term, the pipeline is being restocked with blue chip prospects, season ticket holders are resigning in droves. All good stuff. Bring on training camp!!!

The sport of “futbol” has been known to have incidents of fan violence, commonly referred to as “hooligans” for decades. Hooligans tend to be people who simply show up at soccer games to start trouble rather than watch events going on the field.

It’s been a part of the culture of soccer in European countries for decades whether it be friendlys between clubs or major event involving national sides.

And last night it made its way to US soil. According to this article in the Columbus Dispatch some scuffles broke out during a friendly between the homestanding Columbus Crew and English Premier League’s West Ham after some West Ham supporters ventured into a crowd of Crew supporters at the half.

What can I say, I think this will earn more respect around the world for American soccer than anything David Beckham or Pele ever did. We’re finally starting to have enough passion for the game to get involved in stuff like this.:)

Oh by the way, West Ham won 3-1.

-Peter Farrell

Over the past three seasons, the Buffalo Sabres have implemented a variable pricing formula for single ticket sales, assigning a “gold”, “silver”, “bronze” and “value” designation to each of the games on the schedule, depending on night of the week and the quality of the opponent, among other factors.

For the casual buyer, the difference between a gold game and a value game can be substantial… for example, in our 100 level II seats in section 114, in ‘07-’08 a value ticket went for $48, while a gold ticket fetched a hefty $161.

Last season eight games earned the “gold” designation, and early on the Sabres got bit in the ass, as a weeknight game in October against Toronto fell 400 patrons short of a sellout. I remember Kevin Sylvester making this remark to me in the media room after the morning skate that day - “Well I guess we’re finding out what our price breaking point is”.

I kinda sorta agree with Bfloblog and Kevin’s take on the schedule, which isn’t all that inspiring. Back in the 70s and early 80s, Sunday nights was a big thing on the Sabres schedule, and I remember doing the Bills/Sabres doubleheader on a couple occasions. But Sundays really isn’t a busy night in the NHL anymore, and the Sabres have gone to Friday nights as their marquee nights out.

So anyways, here is the Sabres schedule, and here are my picks. I also invited Pete to make his selection, which appear here as well, and we will have one of our “soda bets” to see who nailed this one, once the Sabs release their single ticket information.

Who do you think will win? Chime in if you wish, unless you’re Matt Pearl. We don’t need Matt to muddy the waters around here, seeing he took exception to MY commentary on the “hallowed” Anchorman’s challenge.

Andrew’s gold games:
Fri Oct 10 - Montreal
Fri Nov 28 - Pittsburgh
Fri Dec 12 - Toronto
Fri Jan 9 - NY Rangers
Wed Feb 4 - Toronto
Fri Mar 20 - Philadelphia
Fri Mar 27 - Toronto
Andrew’s sure fire value game - Mon Dec 1 - Nashville

Peter’s gold games
Fri Oct 10 - Montreal
Fri Nov 28 - Pittsburgh
Fri Dec 12 - Toronto
Fri Jan 9 - Rangers
Wed Feb 4- Toronto
Fri Feb 6 - Montreal
Fri Mar 27 - Toronto
Peter’s sure fire value game - Thu Oct 30 - Tampa Bay

-Andrew Kulyk

Schedule day is always a big one for the Ultimate Sports Road Trip.

By now we know the routine… the NFL releases their schedule in mid April with big fanfare; ditto for the NHL, which usually is released right around the baseball All Star Break. The NBA comes out with theirs two weeks later, and then the AHL piggybacks on them. As for MLB, the teams each release their respective schedules in dribs and drabs… some teams announce the following year as soon as the regular season is over, while others (i.e. Mets, Yankees, Braves and Red Sox) are exasperatingly late in announcing.

As for NCAA college football… the big aggravation there is that many teams don’t release start times until 12 days before the games are played, and that makes it tough to plan, say, a Saturday college doubleheader, or calculating driving times.

Even now, we’re going to be in Bloomington. Indiana on Saturday, October 11 for the Indiana/Iowa football game, as a prelude to our visit at Lucas Oil Field the following day. What time is that game? Who knows! Why does it matter? Well, the Sabres season opener is Friday night October 10. If the kickoff in Bloomington is 12 noon, we have to hit the road Friday and will miss the hockey game. If it’s a night game, we can depart after the Sabres, catch some zzzz’s in Cleveland, and continue on Saturday.

Anyways, we got very little help in terms of “alignment of the planets” from the NHL schedule gods (a Sabres at Leafs game 12/6 in Toronto the night before the Bills/Dolphins game would have been awesome, for example).

These past few days, we sliced and diced the schedule, and since Artvoice gives us a small travel budget for us to cover road games, that certainly helps out, so we decided on these hockey games:

Thur 1/1 Buffalo at Toronto

Mon 1/19 Buffalo at Florida

Wed1/21 Buffalo at Tampa

Sat 2/28 Buffalo at New York Islanders

We’ve added a couple more OHL games (including the soon to be shuttered Windsor Arena, home of the Spitfires and former venue for the NHL Detroit Red Wings, we’re stopping there on Columbus Day/Canadian Thanksgiving as we make our way back from Indy). We also are filling out a roadie the second weekend of September, which may yet change depending on college football start times.

We’ve got the last weekend in October open as well, and right now we’re thinking AHL venues in the midwest which remain on our “to do” list. Or we might just stay home.

Here is the USRT schedule. Lotsa cool adventures await!

(By the way, we’ve also updated the roster of “new venues” on our web site. Construction is currently underway on seven new venues in the four major sports. Here is the lineup.)

Heading to Indy to see the Indianapolis Colts? Then you better hope your ticket doesn’t read “Sec 433, row 13, seats 27-28-29″ (pictured above).

The media was given a tour of the new stadium yesterday, set to host its first football game on August 24 when the Buffalo Bills play the Colts in a preseason game. What they found was about 200 obstructed view seats, in each of the four corners of the stadium up in the nosebleed seats.

For what it’s worth, the Colts ticket operations people say that “these seats are not part of the ticket program”.

Whatever that means.

But then according to the Indianapolis Star, one of the suits from the front office offers this nugget:

Pete Ward, senior executive vice president of the Colts, said that fans who buy partially-obstructed seats would know in advance that their view will not be unobstructed, like most of the seats in the new stadium.

“Absolutely. It is printed on the ticket,” said Ward.

The official USRT visit to Lucas Oil Field is set for Sunday, October 12, Columbus Day weekend. Tickets have been procured (via eBay) and *shudder*, here’s hoping we’re nowhere near a support post!

We’ve reported in this space in the past about the impending move of the International League Richmond Braves to suburban Atlanta, Georgia for the 2009 season. There they will be known as the Gwinnett Braves and will play in a new ballpark which is hastily being built along I-85, in order to be ready in time for April 2009.

Yet back in Richmond, the R-Braves aren’t ready to call it quits just yet. Despite pressure from civic officials in Richmond, the Braves have yet to opt out of their lease at The Diamond, which runs through 2009.

Why the hurry? Richmond is trying to plan their baseball future in a post Braves world, and one idea has the AA Eastern League Erie Seawolves relocating to Richmond. There are also RFP’s due for ballpark redevelopment proposals, none of which can move forward until the R-Braves’ departure is a totally done deal.

Meanwhile back here in USRT country, we have penciled in a planned trip to Gwinnett County for 2009, and that has us saying “&$%^@*)!!!” rather than jumping for joy. Why, you wonder? The distance will involve a flight rather than drive, plus we just did a return visit to Atlanta’s Turner Field a couple years ago so no pressing reason to see that venue again when there are several other MLB yards overdue for another looksie. So that means lots of expense just to visit a AAA ballpark, and maybe tie in some A-ball teams like the Rome Braves or the Greenville Drive.

*Sigh*, but that is what we do… we are the Ultimate Sports Road Trip after all.

So says the club today, as they announced that 97% of their season ticket base has re-upped for the 2008-09 season.

500 tickets will be made available to the season ticket waiting list, which at this point is at about 1000 names requesting 2500 seats. It will be interesting to see how much of that list the Sabres will burn through to reach their maximum threshold of season tickets.

If the Sabres hold true to their single ticket pricing matrix of the past two years, then Sabres season tickets will remain a big big bargain.

The team also announced that their 2008-09 schedule will be released at 12 noon on Thursday (although we will get a sneak peek at some of the games today.) We are setting our sights on some USRT adventures, so we will be pouncing on the data as soon as it is out!

It’s coming down.

For old farts like me, the site of one of my childhood’s biggest heartbreaks - watching The Dead Fat Woman lumber out on the ice to croak out her song, then seeing her ‘Bullies roll over my beloved Buffalo Sabres in the ‘75 Cup Finals.

The Flyers organization, primarily through their AHL affiliate Philadelphia Phantoms, will have a season long celebration commemorating this building and its rich history. A possible regular season Flyers and 76ers game in the old venue is one of the ideas under consideration.

Here is a web site outlining all the plans for the final season, and even a place for fans to post their good thoughts and memories.

I’ll be nice and hold my tongue.

-Andrew Kulyk