Posting again from my hideout in suburban Buffalo, the City Where Great Ideas Go To Die. Whether it be a signature bridge, major waterfront zoo, or Bass Pro on Lake Erie(gee, a fishing store on a Great Lake - who would kill that idea). Yep we would here in Buffalo.

And now it’s the Seneca Casino in downtown Buffalo that the nitwit, crackpot obstructionists kill off. Once again a vocal minority throws around a ton of lawsuits to stop something positive in the community until one of them actually succeed in destroying it.

What the hell does this have to do with us? I don’t know, part of me is venting against morons who are doing their damndest to maintain Buffalo’s negative status nationwide. But I suppose it’s also a reminder to me of all the casinos that we’ve passed by or stopped into on our travels.

We don’t gamble…stop that, we gamble very little and certainly don’t make a point to do so on any of our sports roadies. Yet we’ve managed to stumble into quite a few along the way. Two in St. Louis….one in KC……Vegas obviously….and a stop at the Greektown Casino in Detroit the night before the final stop(12/02) @ Ford Field where I hit a slot jackpot for $2500 - and haven’t bothered to hit one since. And those are casinos I remember being in, frankly.

And it hits me as I write this just what a nonsense position these anti casino folk have taken on this issue. Allow me to tear it to shreds using the above.

“A casino will only draw locals, not tourists” - Bullsh*t, I’ve been to more casinos than I can think of as a tourist visiting a town. You know darn well people who come into Buffalo from the outside will most certainly hit that place. A businessman, a gang of visiting team’s fans going to a Sabres/Bills game…they’re heading there. You know it, I know it. Cut the crap.

And as far as locals go, the ones who will lose the most business aren’t other restaurants, bars and such. It’s those bingo halls, Monte Carlo nights at the church, and the scratch off tickets at the Wilson Farms that’ll take a hit. Tit for tat, simple as that.

The strange thing is, amidst all of the talk in the aftermath of Judge Skretny’s decision no one has brought up a major factor as to why the demand for casinos in Western New York came to be. The photo below will be a huge hint.

When Casino Niagara opened late in 1996 it was a smashing success raking in the coin by the millions. No doubt in huge part thanks to all of the Western New Yorkers who took their hard earned money made on this side of the border and spent in Canada.

The casino was a great addition to the Falls, so much so that they added a permanent one nearby, and opened a smaller operation in Fort Erie as well. And hence came the idea of “Hey, why not one over here! If people are going to spend casino money, why not build one here so the money stays here!!!”

Yep I know, the deal that the City of Buffalo made with the Senecas and the state stinks. In a perfect world(which the delusional obsNIMBYwhackos see as the only solution possible) the city would see more than the 5 to 7mil that they’re supposed to take in.

But remind me again how much money did the City of Buffalo and the City of Niagara Falls get from the Canadian casinos when they were the only place to go locally? Empty pockets….zero dollars…..nil….nada….zilch….nothing….which is less than a few mil last I checked.

It’s this line of thinking, the notion to keep dollars where they are made that got Detroit it’s three casinos, and when people’s heads clear it will be this line of thinking that gets Buffalo it’s newest attraction. One that brings in people from out of the area, one that increases options for entertainment in downtown Buffalo, and one that keeps some of the dollars here in the area.

A privately financed 330m$ investment at no cost to the taxpayer? On land that no businessman would touch with a ten foot pole? And we’re saying no????

Welcome to Buffalo, what can I tell you….where great ideas go to die.

Peter Farrell

Seems like people are all aflutter about Sully’s recent column bemoaning the corporate stadia/arena naming craze. Knowing the rest of the Buffalo sports blogosphere as I do, the reasons had to be because of the article’s content and not its author. Right???

(snickering heavily)

Got me thinking though. Just how good is the average sports fans’ knowledge of stadium names in today’s day and age? The venue building boom of the last decade or so has left many a fan’s head spinning concerning the amount of names one has to remember, and that’s not including venues that have had multiple names thanks to corporations being bought out and reemerging under new titles.

With that in mind and being that sports venue gurus that we are, I throw out a little trivia quiz of “Name That Venue”. I’ll name fifteen or so venues, and it’s your job to figure out where they are located(and preferrably who is the main tenant’s’). Email me with the answers(at right).

One rule: stay the hell off our USRT site/blog for answers! Work for this one, pleeeeeeeze.

Prizes…. knowing that you’ve got a better memory than Sully. Isn’t that enough????

Note - The venues listed below are located in metro areas that currently hosts at least one of the four major pro sports leagues. One is home to a college team. One is in a former major league city, and another is located in a city that may soon join that club. Have fun with it:-).

A. Energy Solutions Arena
B. MTS Centre
C. American Airlines Center
D. AT + T Park
E. Comcast Center
F. McAfee Coliseum
G. FedEx Forum
H. LP Field
I. Ford Center
J. Sprint Center
K. Jobing.com Arena
L. Miller Park
M. Quicken Loans Arena
N. Rexall Place
O. Target Center

Bonus - What was the first corporate name of Gilette Stadium(Foxborough)?

-Peter Farrell

Dear Bucky,

You finally got to me.

Unlike the rest of the B-lo sports blogosphere, I’ve never had much disagreement with your commentaries and opinions on the Sabres. Like you I ripped the Sabres a new one immediately when co-captains Drury and Briere left town, and have become a bit annoyed with the inability to retain some of the key players that made Buffalo a Stanley Cup contender. I suppose I can understand why some out there get upset with your constant referrals to the “Druriere” situation, yet by same token it has been seven years gone by now and I still see comments referring to Hasek’s nasty departure from Buffalo. Keep it up if you so desire.

That being said, here’s word of advice to you: Leave the NBA commentary at the News to Mssrs. Sullivan and McKissic.

“NBA Finals not worth staying up for.” Really? OK, then exactly what Finals scenario WOULD you stay up for? Spurs/Pistons? Cavs/Suns? Knicks/Grizzlies? Being the alleged “big Celtics fan” that you are/were after the Braves left town, one would think that you’d be waiting with baited breath to see your team in the Finals for the first time in a couple of decades. Nah…guess not. Then again, what former Braves fan hops on the wagon of the hated Celtics anyway? Like any Bills fan would become ‘Fins fans in a relocation scenario. Just sayin’.

And since were you THE source for the what defines a “true” Celtic or Laker? Paul Pierce not a true Celtic? What? Someone who spends his entire ten year career in Boston and represents them six times as an All Star is not a “true” Celtic?

Why? Is it because he hasn’t won a title like those “true” Celtic predecessors of his. There’s a solid reason for that and it’s not Paul Pierce. It’s having a front office that was run by the likes of M.L. Carr, Rick Pitino, and Chris Wallace that never put a title contending team on the court with him during or before his arrival in Boston.

And Kobe not a “true” Laker??? Hmmm. Spending an entire career with the Lakers, earning ten All-Star appearances, helping to bring home three NBA Titles and winning an MVP award must not qualify since he begged out when things got rough. Fair point, sort of.

Except that the reason why all of those “true” Lakers never wanted such was because they never had to deal with a stretch of mediocrity like the Lakers had in the past three seasons(avg 40 wins). Case in point: the worst record of a Laker team with Magic Johnson(pre HIV - 1979-91) on the roster was 54-28. And yet like Kobe, Magic helped to run a coach out of town (Paul Westhead) even with championship results.

Yet we look on Magic fondly in part because his replacement WAS better (Riley) and took the Lakers to greater heights.

And I gotta wonder. What did you mean by “distant delinquents”?? A hidden shot at the league’s totally unwarranted thug reputation?? With due respect, which league has brought us Pac-Man Jones, Michael Vick, Ray Carruth, and the Cincinnati Bengals?? Which sport has given us an embarassing steroid/HGH scandal filled with indictments, subpeonas, and other endless legalese? When was the last time that the NBA had to appear before Capitol Hill?

Outside of referee Tim Donaghy and the occasional Carmelo mugshot, how often have you seen NBA entities in the police blotter lately? Yep, not much at all. Darn those delinquents….

We’ve got the Celtics and the Lakers in the Finals. The two greatest franchises in the history of the sport, both having a future first ballot Hall of Famer on their team (KG and Kobe) and were the top seeds in their respective conferences heading into the playoffs. What in the world more could the NBA possibly give you? In what other sport would such a scenario make even a casual fan turn away from their sets and say: “Eh, not makin’ it through the first half. Why bother?”

I can think of one right away. It’s called “not being a fan of the game, period.” So please, Bucky. Save your opinions for sports you actually know and/or care about.

Much appreciated,

Peter Farrell

Here’s an interesting piece in today’s Louisville Courier-Journal.

It seems that one of their sports reporters, a gentleman named Brian Bennett, was tossed out of the pressbox in the middle of a college baseball game. Bennett’s trangression? He was doing live blog reports of the game, and the NCAA states that is a “clear violation of its policies.”

The paper is not going down quietly, arguing that such a rule ignores first amendment rights. The NCAA, on the other hand, wants to protect the media outlet who pays the fees for live broadcasts of the game.

WHo is right? Who is wrong? One thing is for certain - this medium is changing the way we report sports, discuss sports and analyze sports, and the changes are happening at a dizzying pace.

What happens in the Louisville case will certainly bear watching for all of us who cover sports and do blogging.

Jim Fink of Buffalo Business First talked to us earlier this week about the explosion of fan websites and blogging, and the article runs in this week’s print edition of Business First. Our comments appear in the article. Here’s the online link.

Stephen Watson of the Buffalo News wrote this feature article which deals with the growth of online fan sites and focuses in on Bfloblog in particular. Our congratulations to Mark and Kevin as well as all their loyal followers and linked sports sites for an excellent piece and well deserved coverage.

In the “small world” category: Kevin Hosey, who is pictured in the article as a regular blog poster, was once upon a time Editor of the Cheektowaga Bee. And I, once upon a time, was a Cheektowaga Councilman. So basically he “covered” me and my Board when I was there and he was the consummate professional journalist. I had some rough personal patches early on in my stint in office and Kevin treated me with fairness and concern rather than just beating up on me like some other media outlets were doing. I will always be grateful to him for that. So a big “shout out” to “KJHosey”!

Quick thought on today’s game…since I missed parts of it as did Peter. Take the fact that it took the Rangers almost 5 periods to put away the Sabres in their own building in a game they desperately had to win. I think that bodes well for us, no?
I said Sabres in five before this began… I am sticking to it.

After countless email exchanges, cross reporting and media networking, I finally got the chance to say “hi” to Mark and Kevin at Bfloblog. They were in full tailgate form in a parking lot down Perry Street. A quick beer, some hockey talk, and a promise for a more substantial get-together down the road.

Mark and Kevin, soaking up the nice Buffalo day and the pregame festivities outside HSBC Arena

Gotta throw this one in - thousands of fans enjoying the “Party on the Plaza” outside the arena. Many fans without tickets stuck around to watch the game on the special videoboard set up outside on the plaza.

Just checked in to all my sites as part of the morning online reading routine, and as usual, Kevin at Bfloblog doesn’t mince words when it has anything to do with the bosses, pundits or sportwriters at the Buffalo News.

The News at long last unveiled their new look website this morning, which was a long time coming. I am happy to see this happen because sites such as buffalo.com and the Buffalo News site are our portals to the world.

At the same time, publications such as the News have to be feeling the pressure from the growing presence of digital media, and they are trying to come to grips with how to deal with the growing tidal wave. The trend away from old line publishing isn’t about to change, and newspapers which don’t adapt to that will eventually go the way of the buggy whip.

That being said, the Buffalo News is still by far the big kid on the block when it comes to sports reporting, and let us not try to delude ourselves into thinking otherwise. We write for Artvoice (60K weekly circulation), Sports and Leisure Magazine (140K monthly) and WNY Hockey Magazine (9K monthly), and post stories to this blog. Our combined presence in all these outlets doesn’t have the impact that one Jerry Sullivan column has. Now five years from now the world might be a different place, but as for today, that is the reality of the situation.

So what do we do as bloggers? It’s simple really - if the sports blogs band together as an online community, we instantly become a bigger and more credible force. As Kevin so aptly put it, the blogs that are emerging aren’t just duplicative and repetitive, but are capturing their own nitch. Bfloblog is now teaming up with WNY Media as their sports department, and this in turn just gives the sports blog network that much more “mojo”. It’s all good!!!

But our responsibility is not only to copy and paste stories from the established media and offer critiques, but also report on the news and relay them here. And that means keeping eyes and ears open for anything relevant going on that may be of interest to our readers.

Last Monday before the NHL trade deadline I caught a story on TSN, where Phoenix coach Wayne Gretzky emphatically stated that he had no intention of moving Kevyn Adams anywhere and would instead re-sign him and keep him in Phoenix. Now THAT was an important bit of news and we posted it here, while at the same time, Bucky Gleason at the News and the reporters at WGRZ.com were still speculating whether Adams was in the mix and what it would take to bring him to Buffalo.

These are exactly the kind of “scoops” we need to watch for and post and that is how we snag that occasional “w” vs. the major media.

The sportswriters at the Buffalo News really aren’t bad guys - their degrees of friendliness and affability vary wildly, but they all have years of professional experience, contacts in the industry and their own opinions which we should respect. Whether it be sportswriters, TV personaliites,radio sports jocks, photo journalists, behind the scenes engineers, or internet media (including bloggers), we’re all part of the media family.

Off sports for a bit… I attended my first WNY Coalition for Progress meeting last night, which meant passing on all the Artvoice Mardi Gras doings downtown and a chance to tip a few. Peter was at the arena covering the Sabres game - yeah HE gets to see the Campbell/Umberger fight and Peters’ first goal of the season. I’m going Thursday and with my luck the game will be a snooze.

Anyways, I wanted to go for two reasons - first of all this group seems to be involving itself in all the right things for Buffalo; second, it gave me a chance to finally meet some people who I have only known via the internet so far.

So yeah, I finally met Alan Bedenko, aka Buffalo Pundit, who is one of the most amazing and energetic community activists and a growing media force in Buffalo. Alan won Artvoice’s “Best Blog” category in the 2006 Best Of competition and surely will be in the race for a back-to-back championship in ‘07.

Marc Odien of WNY Media Net was there as well filming the event, dots of paint on his jacket as he is working hard on his new headquarters opening soon in Allentown. EC Comptroller Mark Poloncarz and I chatted some, and I invited him to come to a future meeting of the Cheektowaga Democratic Committee (I’m the town party’s Vice Chair woo-hoo!) to address our group. EC Legislature Chairman Lynn Marinelli was the featured speaker, and has an amazing way of exuding boundless optimism about the County’s future. Deep down I look at her as a protector of the old guard, but it’s hard not to like her.

Making new friends with some extraordinary people… building the information network… cementing new contacts in the community… man oh man this blogging is fun!

Well it has taken a while, but the Ultimate Sports Road Trip website has finally joined the Web 2.0. We are up and running with a brand new blog, and what better way than just a generic “welcome” message. We’re going to be posting road trip stories, stuff about our local sports teams, interesting and unique sports stories, and of course updates on new and exciting things happening at sports venues everywhere.

We’re still learing how the features of all this stuff works, so bear with us and feel free to post your comments!