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

Caught Bob Dicesare’s column in today’s News and flipped when I saw part of his take about the “Raptors In Buffalo” scenario:

“If Buffalo lands a Toronto Raptors preseason game then let’s use the night to celebrate our basketball heritage. Bring in Bob McAdoo, Randy Smith, maybe Ernie DiGregorio and Bob Kaufmann, and acknowledge their place in Buffalo sports history. And while we’re at it, let’s raise McAdoo’s No. 11 to the rafters at HSBC Arena in recognition of all he achieved as a Brave and beyond. “

Halleh - freaking - lujah!

For too long we have seen ourselves as a city that is highly ambivelant about the NBA, almost to the point that where we enjoy such a status. Almost as if we’re supposed to be proud of not caring about basketball at its highest level here.

For whatever reason that may be it’s time to trash that mindset, at least for one night if this Raptors/HSBC Arena idea comes off. Let’s celebrate the fact that this city was once home to an NBA franchise, and one that gave us some great moments to boot during its short-but-sweet run at the Aud.

Bring in Boston, the team that had become the Braves’ archrival and opponent during two memorable playoff series. How about Atlanta? A nice young team whose roots also date back to Memorial Auditorium in the forties. Or if we want to have a villain - send in the LA Clippers, the club that bolted from Buffalo three decades ago in a bizarre franchise ownership change.

And at some point during the evening, do exactly what Dicesare suggested. Put a sky blue #11 up to rafters at HSBC Arena. Quite frankly, someone who is celebrated amongst basketball’s all time greats in Springfield certainly deserves far more of a presence in the arena than a passing notice and photo in the “Headlines” area of the venue.

But I highly doubt that you’ll ever see the right thing done. We’ve personally pushed for this virtually since McAdoo was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2000. The good folks downtown know of our mission, know others who are on board, and ought to know that he deserves such an honor as much as anyone who has ever worn a Buffalo pro sports jersey in this town.

That they appear not to is a shame and nothing else.

Rest in Peace, Jim McKay.

Most people know him as the ABC sportscaster known for hosting the longrunning “Wide World of Sports” series, and for being the prime voice of the Olympic Games while they were covered by ABC.

We here at the USRT tend to see things a little differently, on terms that we know best. Hence the title of this post.

McKay was the first widely traveled sportscaster in history as his career began to rise as the use of television broadcasts via satellites became common. Week in and week out, one would tune into “Wide World of Sports” to see McKay broadcasting from some part of the world covering just about any sport in existence from just about anywhere on the planet. Whether it be an Olympic Games in Austria, being one of the first sportscasters let into Communist China, or covering a mainstream event like the Indy 500 it would be a real treat to find out exactly where on Earth McKay would be that week.

McKay traveled about five million miles in the quest to bring sports from around the globe home to the average person who would never get to see such places or in some cases, such sports. And did so with an enormous amount of class and dignity. In the words of Jeremy Schaap “Unfailingly, he treated the barrel jumpers and cliff divers and bicycle polo players with the same respect he afforded Mario Andretti and Mark Spitz and Bill Shoemaker. ”

And he was, and always will be for folks of my generation and up the defining voice of the Olympic Games, as it seemed like he was there calling every big event that occured on a quadrennial basis. And his finest moment as a broadcaster took place in 1972 with his eloquent handling of the horrible hostage tragedy at Munich.

Thank You, Jim. Happy travels where ever you may be now.

Just a feeling of profound sadness as I watched Eliot Spitzer turn in his resignation this morning.

How many larger than life and mythic figures have we put our faith and trust in, only to end up in heartbreak and disappointment? Joel Giambra was going to regionalize and streamline county government and bring us prosperity, only to spend spend spend into oblivion and leave us broke. John Rigas was going to build us the Adelphia tower, bring thousands of jobs to WNY, and turn Buffalo into a corporate headquarters bellwether. Today he sits in jail.

Eliot Spitzer was going to end the “three men in a room” form of governance and finally bring an end to the dysfunction in Albany.

Now he has disgraced himself, his family, all of us who believed in him, and the goal of at last bringing responsible government to Albany is in tatters.

But being a political PR guy I give props to the 2006 Spitzer ads, which resonated so deeply in me when they aired and sent such a strong message. They were so well done and the messages they offered are still relevant, even in 2008.

This one was my favorite… and the quick New York Knicks cameo gives me chills.

The Rigases are heading to prison on August 13.

The word came down just today that all their appeals have been exhausted, and now it’s just a matter of the Bureau of Prisons determining where Adelphia founder John Rigas and his son Tim will be housed.

I take no pleasure in this news, only sadness - Western New York invested so much of its faith and hope in these people - the promise of thousands of new jobs for our area; a new skyscraper at the doorstep of HSBC Arena and related development which should have had the Cobblestone District hopping by now; a secure future for our NHL hockey franchise. We all bought into it. We thought they were the real deal.

But at the end of the day they were just thieves and crooks consumed by greed. And while I feel some pity for the old man, who I think was misled by his sons, I feel none whatsoever for the kid.

So Tim, how many yachts can a man own to be happy? How many golf courses do you have to have title to? How many speedboats can you water ski behind? How many mansions does a person really need to have? I guess the only thing you will need to worry about now is if those prison issue fatigues fit right, and what it’s like to crap in toilet without a seat, and have everybody and anybody watch while you’re doing it. Bon voyage fellas!

Here is the link to the Associated Press story.

Kevin at bfloblog is right. Considering Mesi’s precarious health situation, we can breathe a sigh of relief that he emerged healthy.Baby Joe Mesi won his fight tonight against the latest homeless person or day laborer. This best analogy I could make about his undefeated streak would be like moving the Buffalo Sabres to the UHL and then winning the Colonial Cup year in and year out.At the Sabres game tonight, the PA guy announced Mesi’s win to the crowd… the reaction was just some scattered applause, and interestingly, a smattering of boos. Clearly, this circus has run its course here in WNY.We’ve hammered Mesi in the past in our columns. We wish Mesi well… he could do so much for this region as a community activist. He could have a bright career as a boxing commentator on ESPN or some other national media outlet. But until I see Mesi take on an equally qualified opponent, he will continue to earn my scorn and ridicule.

B-rate actress Bridget Moynahan is pregnant, and Tom Brady is the dad. Only problem is, the two have split up.Yet some corners of the media, fueled no doubt by the Feminazis and Harradins among them, are castigating Brady… that bad, bad evil athlete, just going around and getting women pregnant.So does anyone wish to question dear sweet Bridget and her morals and her scruples? After all, it does take two to tango.Meantime, Brady has moved on to a new interest, a gal named Gisele Bundchen. Gisele is a great gardener and housekeeper, enjoys poetry and mixes a delicious strawberry daiquiri. Oh, she models lingerie too? Betcha Brady never even noticed!