Well, we’re at it again! Bright and semi early tommorow your favorite roadtrip duo hops into an ‘03 Kia Sorrento for a sports tour of the Ohio Valley.

Stop one was SUPPOSED to be in Charleston, WV tommorow night where the Augusta Green Jackets and West Virginia Power were going to play in Game 4 of the best of five South Atlantic League Championship series.

Small problem, the Power were swept out in three straight games. I guess we’ll just do a day long drive to Knoxville and park ourselves in town for Saturday’s home opener at renowned Neyland Stadium. Ahhh yes, the rivalry that is Tennessee/Alabama! Can’t wait!

Oops, actually it’s Tennessee vs. Alabama-Birmingham at 12:30 aw heck!

Not much time to worry about that, because that’s just the first of two college football games on tap for us. The nightcap occurs 170 miles to the north where Kentucky invites Sun Belt cupcake Middle Tennessee State to Commonwealth Stadium for a good ol’ fashioned non conference beatdown.

Useless trivia of the day: Middle Tennessee State and Peter’s high school alma mater(Horseheads) have the same nickname….the Blue Raiders. I dare you, try to come up with a more useless piece of info than that!

After that pasting, we head the car northwest to the Steel City and one of our favorite ballparks in PNC Park for a Sunday matinee. Don’t know and don’t care who the opponent is since I’ll have thoughts of Primanti’s and Quaker Steak on my mind, wanna have some of mine Andrew??? Hah!!!

Too bad that game three of the NY-Penn series is in Batavia. I could seriously see doing that one(7pm) in Jamestown on the way home. Eh, with our luck the series will be a sweep and the point will be moot.

Check back for updates as the weekend progresses:)

PJF

And damn don’t we love it!

It can be said that the karma will find you.

Last season the Pats were busted in the act of videotaping the opponents playcalling signals, a practice that had always been deemed illegal and further more clarified as such in a league memo sent out during the ‘06 season. Most organizations paid heed to the memo.

But not the “classy” Patriots. And why should they? The NFL slapped them on the wrist in fining them a few hundred G’s and forfeiting a future first round pick. Literally harmless compared to the damage that their rules violations my have done to the integrity of the competition of the game during the Belichick era.

Since the league wouldn’t dare throw the hammer down on the Pats, karma did yesterday afternoon. And we of AntiPats Nation are thankful for it.

-PJF

Mike Simoncelli is a college student majoring in sports management at Medaille College and has been working for the Buffalo Sabres as a part of the media crew in the pressbox. We ran into Mike during the summer and he told us he was traveling to Indy with the Bills equipment staff for their preseason game, so we asked him if he would take a few shots and give us a report. Here is Mike’s submission for our readers, along with our appreciation…

Lucas Oil Stadium Fulfills The Hype

As the Buffalo Bills team flight descended towards the Indianapolis airport the afternoon before their third preseason game, I looked out my window and spotted the structure everyone had been buzzing about. That structure was Lucas Oil Stadium, and the first word that came to my mind was simply “wow.”

With no objection from me, we went directly from the airport to the stadium to unload all of the equipment, so I did not have to wait long to get an up close look at just how majestic this stadium was. My anticipation was not disappointed. The first thing I noticed was the shape of the stadium was different from most other stadiums I have seen, in that it was more rectangular than round, making it look more like a factory than a stadium. I was also astounded by the fact that nearly the entire exterior was brick, which made even more obvious the amount of time that went into putting this building together.

The inside of the stadium was breath taking as well. There are six levels of seats on the sidelines, two of which are for suites. In each of the end zones there are large windows, and on what I believe is the west side of the stadium, the windows open up whenever the retractable roof is open. Those windows may cause problems for receivers during day games however, because the ball gets lost in the glare on mid-level and high throws.

When the game started the crowd sounded as if they were cheering during a regular season game. This was not surprising to me based on what I found while walking through the city prior to the game, as everyone was decked out in their Colts gear, even the night before the game.

I was pleasantly surprised by the city overall as there appears to be a lot to do downtown as far as restaurants and bars go, and there is even a large mall only minutes away from the stadium. This city is definitely worth taking a road trip to for a game as you’ve got a beautiful venue to watch it in, and an upbeat town to spend your downtime in.

-Mike Simoncelli

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!

And the back of that line is getting farther and farther away.

Donte Whitner promised us a playoff berth, and if the Bills should be fortunate enough to land a home game this postseason, this is expected to be one hot ticket. After all, the Bills should cross the 55,000 season ticket threshold, and with a smaller stadium post-renovation, that leaves fewer single tickets than the last time the Bills hosted a playoff game in 1997. Now take care of league requirements and tickets for sponsors and advertisers, and, natch, that number goes down even further.

But lookee here and see who gets next dibs. Yessiree, our beady-eyed, flapping-head good friends to the North who plunked down the big bucks for club seats up in Toronto, that’s who!

“Priority access to purchase Bills Playoff tickets in Buffalo (limited inventory)”

Memo to Billsfan: BOHICA!*

-Andrew Kulyk

*bend over here it comes again*

The Celtics had everything go their way in Game 2. Officiating was somewhat one sided if you believe the free throw shooting stats(38-10). Paul Pierce played on his (allegedly) injured knee and scored 28 points. And a huge off the bench contribution from Leon Powe helped mightily in stretching a late nine point third quarter lead to an early fourth quarter gap of twenty four.

Powe provided for Boston what any club needs to win a title….a big contribution from a player not expected to be in such a situation to assist a club’s big guns(big 3 in Boston’s case) and provide ample rest for them that will keep them fresh as the series goes on. Powe’s burst of 21 points on this night seemed to be the boost that would allow Boston to coast to an easy Game 2 win.

But it didn’t.

It simply set the stage for the best player in the league to stage a Laker comeback which fell just a bucket or so short of becoming lodged in the annals of history. Kobe chipped in eleven points and the Lakers knocked down four three pointers in cutting a twenty four point lead with eight minutes to go down to just two with under fourty seconds left.

Later with the Lake Show down four, the disappointing Sasha Vujacic launched a lame three that missed badly and sealed a 2-0 series lead for Boston as the teams head west for the next three games. (Yep, they change the travel format for the finals only, time to ditch this I say.)

Only three times has a club trailed 2-0 in the Finals and rallied to win, last being the ‘06 Heat(fluke, just sayin’). And that Miami team is the only home club to win the three middle games(3,4,5) since the NBA went to the 2-3-2 format in the early 80’s. Not that I want to crown the Celtics now, but history shows that it’s not looking good for LA right now.

But I will say this now, LA will bring it back to Boston. Time will tell if there will be one or two games there.

Other random thoughts on my mind(hoops related or otherwise)…I really bitched out the Celtics pyrotechnic crew for their lame pre game video. The fine folks of ESPN/ABC are at the opposite end of the spectrum with their goose bump/spine tingling/near tear jerking intro to the Finals. Major goose bump moments when hearing the voices of the late Chick Hearn and Johnny Most.

Dominik Hasek retired??? Should we start a pool to see when he changes his mind? And added bonus for what team he suits up for?

Seriously though, this was the greatest player to wear a Sabres jersey(Note: I didn’t say greatest player that was also very exciting to watch - #11 fans). Only player in franchise history EVER to win an Hart Trophy/MVP, not to mention several Vezina Trophies. The man was the biggest reason that the Sabres were a consistent postseason team and Cup contender.

And the fact that he did this during an era of severe league financial instability in which teams like Buffalo had no real chance to bring in any real assets to assist them in competition only adds to his legacy.

Hopefully the bad blood between Hasek and the Sabres and fans will dissipate soon(It’s. Been. SEVEN. #@$%ing. years.) so that he can have his rightful spot in the HSBC rafters with the French Connection, Patty La La, McAdoo(hey, he’s in MY HSBC rafters) et al.

Bills are over 52K in season ticket sales?? Two thoughts:

1. Yuck Fou Toronto.
2. Nice to see that people picked up on my idea. Just sayin’.

The Belmont - the most predictable two minutes in sports. Boy did we get suckered in to thinking we’d actually see a Triple Crown winner. Frank Robinson and Carl Yastrzemski are probably sipping champagne to celebrate the moment.

-Peter Farrell

I think this story is worthy of a mention on this site, if for no other reason because the USRT’s engagement in the media has its humble origins with the Buffalo Gladiators semi pro football team (long story we’ll save that for another time).

The Gladiators have been one of the flagship franchises of the New York Amateur Football league for many seasons now, enjoying success both on and off the field. The competition has been based in Western and Central New York State, although the Gladiators have gone on to play in the regional Harvest Bowl tournament in the fall and had a couple runs at a sanctioned national title as well.

Well the NYAFL is no more. The league has agreed in principle to merge with the Garden State Football League, and the combined circuit will be called the Northeastern Football Alliance. Among the teams merging into the new league will be the powerful Brooklyn Mariners team, which should give the Gladiators a run for their money in 2008.

More on this story at Minor League Football News.

So why do I give this story special props? Only because the NYAFL Commissioner (and former Gladiators offensive lineman) is none other than my lil’ bro’ Taras Kulyk. Taras has been working the phones and involved in high level meetings across the state in recent weeks to bring all this to fruition.

Nice job, Mr. Commish!

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.

I have pontificated in the past about the boorish behavior and the goings on at Ralph Wilson Stadium, but sometimes we pick up on some bad stories at peer NFL venues.

If you asked me which stadiums are the most intimidating for visiting fans and/or the most likely places you will see a violent incident off the field, I would immediately choose Giants Stadium in New Jersey, and McAfee Coliseum in Oakland. New Yawkers are generally a boorish loutish class of fans, while Raiderfan is just intimidating by nature, and the scary costumes provide no comfort.

Yesterday’s New York Times featured a story on the goings on at “Gate D” of the stadium, where apparently fans congregate on the spiral ramps and exhort female patrons to bare their breasts, throwing debris and hurling profanities if they don’t comply.

According to several fans and stadium workers, such behavior has been going on at Jets home games for years. But it apparently had not been a problem at Giants home games.

So apparently this has been a Jets tradition for years, and is now spilling over into Giants games. Nice.

OK, so I’d rather see a new home for the Bills go from the ground up and like many others I believe downtown would be neat. However, another renowned AFC franchise that plays in a stadium built in the early seventies is taking the renovation route like we did but in a more comprehensive fashion than was done here nearly a decade ago.

Kansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium is in the early stages of a 375M$ renovation project that will be completed in time for the 2010 season with monies coming from a 3/8% sales tax increase as well as 125M$ coming from the Hunt family themselves.

Some links to more info and pics here, and here, and here for the complete report.

Another older venue that underwent a complete facelift was Green Bay’s Lambeau Field. While it was a great old school venue, it was also in great need of modernization and the good folks of Northeast Wisconsin, taxpayers as well as Packer shareholders alike plunked down about 300M$ make this a reality. The renovation was complete in time for the 2003 season.

Of course, we think this is also a good reference to check out the New Lambeau with….

If this is the route to go with the Bills and their facilities. Do it all the way instead of the half ass job of the late nineties….second major scoreboard, wider concourses for fans in both levels. Major entry plaza @ Southwestern and Abbott, more places to stand and view the game from. The top of the upper deck, while a nice idea was a bad location. I suggest making the space above the endzone suites and below the scoreboard a plaza/viewing area.

Just a few suggestions and ideas….have at it!

Before you go running off and brokering billion dollar deals to buy and operate an NFL franchise, how about you and your idiot brothers paying all the paper product companies, food vendors, employees, utility suppliers, banks and everyone else you stiffed and left holding the bag when you shut the doors on your downtown restaurant and nightclub?

Oh, and as for you winning a seat in Congress?…Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahah!

If you missed it on SportsCenter highlights this weekend, or haven’t found it by other means….we become the 576,372nd blog(give or take 2, maybe 3) to present the amazing ending of this past weekend’s D-III clash of the titans between Trinity and Millsap College.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrI52_2GaZI]

Ya think the defense just got tired of chasing all over the field and said “to hell with it”? Almost appears to be that way towards the end. Either way, I doubt that even Hollywood would be able to script as insane of an ending as this one.

Readers of this space remember Chris Boyes from Wakefield, England, who just a few weeks ago visited Buffalo and saw his first Bills game in person.

Chris was in the building yesterday when the first NFL regular season game ever played outside of North America in history was staged in London’s spectacular new Wembley Stadium. Chris files this report and also sent along a few photos. We’d like to share his experience with our readers…

We left Wakefield at 9am yesterday and headed straight down the M1 Motorway towards London. Traffic was good and we parked a few miles north of London, on a housing estate, free of charge and right next to Stanmore tube station. This station is only 4 stops from Wembley so for anyone travelling down from the north to Wembley this makes for a good option.

The tube ride is only 10 minutes and the station at Wembley is only a couple of hundred yards away from the stadium. We arrived outside about 1PM.

To be honest the weather spoiled the day somewhat, especially outside the stadium before the game as most people were just trying to shelter under the stadium over hang and keep dry. The atmosphere was friendly though and everyone seemed upbeat and excited about a real NFL game coming to England. We spotted fans of every NFL team bar two, the guilty parties were Arizona and Jacksonville (well we didn’t see any).

Unlike America there was no tailgating going on although there was a large indoor tailgate party going on across the way in Wembley Arena for all those not able to get tickets for the actual game.

Once inside the stadium didn’t dissapoint, although i did think it looked a bit grey and dreary and could benefit from the sort of decor that i saw inside HSBC.

All the facilities (rest rooms, beer and food stalls were plentiful) and the prices whilst high weren’t as bad as i had been led to believe. The quailty of the food though was typical English football ground rubbish, warm but tasteless.

One thing i thought good was the time line photo boards which encircle the concourse high above the crowd, they show moments from classic games at Wembley in years gone by. I even saw Wolves on one of them from the 1974 league cup final victory against Manchester City (2-1).

Inside the seating bowl the scale of the stadium hits home, it’s far bigger and grander than the old Wembley and fans are a lot closer to the pitch now as well.

One thing i thought they should have done was close the roof, late in the game when the rain came down quite heavy it was somehow getting under neath the stand roof and showering the front section of seats where we were sitting. I have been to the millenium stadium in Cardiff and they can close that thing up in about 15 minutes, i’m not sure if Wembley is the same or not.

Overall though i was very impressed and hopefully so were the NFL, enough to want to come back, WITH THE BILLS I HOPE! (not a home game though, i’ll leave those for the real Buffalo fans and where they should be played, IN BUFFALO!).

Wembley’s main entrance from a distance with the signature arch atop the sparkling facility.

We love historical stuff at venues, and for English sports history not much can top winning the World Cup in ‘66 at Wembley. Here is a statue of ‘66 team captain Bobby Moore at a monument dedicated to that victory.

Lastly, a view of Wembley’s interior from the seat where Chris was in for yesterday’s game.

After the jump.

Tailgating with Rick and Susan and their posse

The outside of Texas Memorial Stadium

85,000 plus in the building; the view just inside the gate

The panorama of the seating bowl

Check out that new HD scoreboard!

Downtown Austin, as seen from the stadium concourse